Purposes and outcomes of the review
The programme reviewed
Section A Framework
Section B Overall educational aims of the programme
Section C An evaluation of the emerging standards of the programme and the emerging achievements of students
Section D An evaluation of the quality of students' learning opportunities
Section E An evaluation of the monitoring and enhancement of quality and standards
Section F Good practice and/or innovative features
Section G Summary of the main review outcomes
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has commissioned the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education to carry out a second programme of reviews of a sample of Foundation Degrees (FDs) in England in the academic year 2004-05. The major purposes of the review process are:
The findings from the reviewers' lines of enquiry result in a published report containing two threshold judgements. In the case of programmes where there are students who have graduated, the report contains judgements on the confidence, or otherwise, the reviewers have in:
In the case of recent programmes where no students have graduated to date, the report contains judgements on the confidence, or otherwise, the reviewers have in:
The report also comments on the maintenance and enhancement of standards and quality, and on the examples of good practice and innovation which may be worthy of wider dissemination.
Each review looks at one FD programme. It covers the entirely of that programme and includes, as applicable, the provision at all sites of delivery, all pathways, sites of work-based learning and modes of study.
The review takes place within a framework that includes a range of activities common to all reviews. Each review is structured around a series of 11 key questions to be considered by the provider in preparing its self-evaluation and by the reviewers when summarising evidence to be used to reach the two threshold judgements. The same questions form the structure of the report.
1 The Foundation Degree (FD) Professional Computer Studies programme was originally validated in May 2002 and delivered at the Southampton Institute (the Institute) (now Southampton Solent University), in the Faculty of Technology. The programme ran in its first year of operation as a single award FD in Professional Computer Studies with two pathways, one in Computer Studies (PCS) and one in Computer Networking Studies. The FD Computer Networking Studies pathway prepared students for taking the examinations for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) qualification and required attendance for four of the units. The FD PCS pathway prepared students for the British Computer Society (BCS) professional examinations, and was taught entirely by distance learning with no attendance requirement.
2 The two pathways were made separate named awards in July 2003. In April 2005 (a few weeks before the FD review took place) the programmes were revalidated. At this point the FD PCS was revalidated and the FD in Professional Computer Network Studies was discontinued and is due to be phased out during 2005. This review and its judgements relate to the existing awards, validated in 2002, separated in 2003 and awarded by the Institute. Some specific references are made to the September 2005 programme to illustrate developmental changes.
3 Apart from an employer presence on the validation panels, no employers were directly involved in the design of the 2002 FD, although the course did match the BCS professional syllabus. Over the last 12 months one large employer, Lloyds TSB, has expressed an interest in making the FDs part of its in-house staff development programme, 'Headstart'. Currently there are 10 students from Lloyds TSB on the programmes. Although this company will be involved more formally in the future, the recruitment will remain 'open', rather than the programme converting to a 'closed' company-specific FD.
4 There are currently 24 students enrolled on the programmes, all of whom are studying part-time. Students are allowed up to eight years for completion of the awards. The programmes are not made available to school leavers nor are they available full-time. Students are expected to be able to apply their experience of the programmes to their experience of work. In practice, nearly all students are in related employment. The students are geographically dispersed across the country. Typically, each student would be the only individual within a firm or business taking a programme, apart from the arrangement with Lloyds TSB. Students are located in workplaces in both the public and the private sectors, ranging, for example, from engineering companies to local authorities and NHS Trusts. No students had graduated at the time of the review.
5 The overall aims of the FD PCS programmes are to:
6 The aims and intended programme outcomes of the FDs reflect the expectations of the Intermediate level of the FHEQ and the Subject benchmark statement for computing. The programmes were developed prior to the publication of the Foundation Degree qualification benchmark (FDQB), but the design reflects the expected characteristics of the qualifications. This is particularly so in the commitment to widen access, to flexibility of delivery and to focus on the needs of the workplace. It is intended that those who have completed the FDs will be able to work in a number of roles within the information technology (IT) sector at a technician level.
7 There was no direct employer involvement in the design of the 2002 programme, but the programme team was able to draw on their extensive experience of preparing students for the examinations of the BCS, the sector's professional body. In development, the learning outcomes and unit content were mapped to the syllabuses of the BCS. It was intended that students taking the FD PCS would also be able to take the BCS qualifications at certificate and diploma level. The FD Professional Computer Network Studies was also calibrated against the CCNA programme. It was intended that students on this route would be able, additionally, to take the CCNA qualification. The CCNA element has been dropped in the revalidated programme that will run from September 2005. The calibration against appropriate BCS standards has been retained. The development of the 2005 programme also drew on the Foundation Degree Sectoral Framework for Information Technology Professionals, published in 2004. This is based on employer research carried out by e-Skills UK, the relevant Sector Skills Council.
8 The aims and intended learning outcomes are clear and, as a result of the process of their development, fully reflect sector needs. They are communicated to students through the programme specification. Unit outcomes are carefully designed to reflect the programme's intended learning outcomes.
9 The provision of the programme through distance learning provides a flexible study pattern incorporating the accreditation of prior learning (APL) and prior experiential learning (APEL). It has attracted students who report that they would not otherwise be able to study and enables them to spend minimum time out of the workplace and remain in employment. A partnership is currently being developed with Lloyds TSB to integrate the programmes into the company training programme, 'Headstart'.
10 Both programmes are rated at 240 credit points, which are divided equally between level 1 and level 2. Successful FD students from both programmes are able to progress to the Institute's 140-credit, final-year BSc (Hons) Professional Computer Studies. This award was designed specifically for top-up purposes and is also a part-time, distance-learning programme.
11 The curricula are designed to enable students to achieve the aims and intended learning outcomes of the programme by providing an understanding of the skills and knowledge relevant to the needs of the computer industries. These include computing skills, software development, computer architecture, systems analysis and design, database development, project management, networking, LAN and WAN design and implementation. The content of the units is aligned closely to the certificate and diploma units of the BCS. The Computing Skills unit also enables students to take the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) qualification. The new 2005 curriculum will include the internet and world-wide web. On-line simulation will be introduced to meet the BCS networking requirements.
12 The units provide the opportunity to apply knowledge in the workplace, although students reported that their ability to do so varied greatly. It is dependent on the match between their current work situation and the content of a given unit. The revised programme contains a 40-credit Workplace Project. There are no arrangements at admission to ensure that the students' workplaces fulfil minimum criteria for the work-based learning envisaged by the programmes.
13 All of the students are part-time and take between 40 and 100 credits each year. They are allowed up to eight years to complete the programmes. They are mostly over 25 and in employment. They nearly all enter without traditional entry qualifications. The Institute conducts telephone interviews to assess the likelihood of applicants achieving the outcomes of the programmes. There are no arrangements for personal development planning, although an institution-wide scheme is currently being piloted and planned for implementation during 2005-06.
14 Assessment procedures conform to the Institute's assessment conventions and reflect engagement with the Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education (Code of practice), Section 6: Assessment of students, and Section 4: External examining. The procedures cover the appointment of external examiners, scheduling of assessments, setting of examination papers and marking. The sample of assessed student work provided evidence that the internal and external moderation of assignments and examination scripts is effective.
15 The assessment strategy is appropriate for the outcomes of the programmes. It tests the achievement of both academic knowledge and understanding, and vocational skills and their application in the workplace. The assessment tasks are appropriate to the Intermediate level of the FHEQ and level 5 of the National Qualifications Framework. An exception to this is the unit, Software Engineering, where the assessment tasks were not set at the expected level for the award.
16 Students confirm that the assessment tasks support the development of their academic skills and their workplace knowledge and abilities. Learning outcomes are communicated to students through unit descriptors. They are also stated clearly in most of the assignment briefings. However, students are not provided with an overall assessment schedule.
17 Feedback on most assessments is not delivered in a timely fashion. This point was reported by the students and acknowledged by the teaching team and Faculty managers.
18 Work-based learning is not assessed in the workplace and there are no plans to involve employers in formative assessment, although students may draw on their work experiences when completing course assignments.
19 Arrangements are in place for APL. Full information is given to students on the APL and APEL arrangements. Certificated Learning has been used for the unit on computing skills and the reviewers are able to verify that the process is thorough and robust.
20 The reviewers scrutinised 14 samples of student work from a wide range of units. The samples indicate that, with very few exceptions, students are achieving the threshold requirements for the awards. Standards are consistent with the defining characteristics of an FD as expressed in the FDQB. The work offers clear evidence that students are achieving appropriate levels of knowledge and understanding, as well as general and subject-specific skills. The external examiner supports this judgement for the FDs, who has expressed confidence in the achievements of the students.
21 Student work in the units on Computing Skills and Software Development is not achieving the level expected within the award. In the case of Computing Skills, the focus on the requirements of the ECDL necessitates an additional assessment to demonstrate all unit outcomes. Both units had already been identified as problematic by the programmes' team. Appropriate action has been taken to address the problems through changes in the 2005 programme.
22 In the first two cohorts, 14 out of the combined total of 22 enrolments withdrew from the programme. The statistics presented as part of the Annual Course Report (ACR) indicate that where students have been retained within the programmes, their attainment levels are acceptable.
23 The Faculty of Technology Business Initiative Unit designed the FDs. The curricula reflect the professional standards expected in the related industries. Care has been taken to ensure that the awards meet employer expectations by mirroring the content of the certificate and diploma awards of the BCS and the CCNA. The alignment with BCS units has been maintained for the September 2005 programme. The new programme will also reflect fully the recently published Foundation Degree Framework of e-Skills UK, the relevant Sector Skills Council. The networking element will continue as a specified route within the FD PCS award, but will no longer prepare students for the CCNA programme. The programme will still prepare students for the BCS examinations, but will be taught entirely through distance learning.
24 Few students have so far taken the option of gaining the additional qualifications available through the alignment of the curriculum with BCS, however, all networking students achieved the CCNA qualification. However, the alignment has enabled employers to recognise the FDs as valuable qualifications in their own right. Employers appreciate the flexibility that the distance-learning approach allows to their employees. These features encourage employer support for students in accessing the facilities available in the workplace.
25 Currently, there is no direct employer involvement in curriculum design, assessment or the mentoring of work-based learning. Employers who are sponsoring students have no direct contact with the Institute. They rely on feedback from their student employees for information on course content and operation. Recently, there has been a constructive increase in contact between the programme team and the training department at Lloyds TSB, who plan to commit up to 20 students to the next cohort.
26 The programme team has recognised the advantage of systematic employer participation in the design and delivery of the curriculum. The September 2005 programme will include a final year Workplace Project. This will require employers to operate as workplace mentors or facilitators. The involvement of employers in formative assessment of students has yet to be considered. At the time of the review, there were no details of how this significant increase in employer involvement would be achieved in practice, nor were all employers aware of this recent development.
The reviewers have confidence in the emerging academic standards and emerging achievements of students.
27 The FD programmes are delivered almost entirely by distance learning. Students enrolled on the FD Professional Computer Networking Studies route which is being phased out from 2005 attend the Institute only for those modules that relate to the Cisco qualifications. The September 2005, FD PCS, will be an exclusively distance-learning programme.
28 The teaching team uses a virtual learning environment (VLE) to deliver course materials. In some cases, for example, in those units dealing with programming, students report that this material does not recognise their limited knowledge. This point is supported by the reviewers' own analysis of the learning materials supplied on-line through the VLE. The difficulties are evident in the unit on Software Development, where students are introduced to concepts of which they have limited prior knowledge.
29 There has been a failure in some key areas of electronic communication and support, which has seriously undermined the students' distance-learning experience. Key features, identified in the self-evaluation and the 2002 validation document, have not yet been established. These features include on-line group teaching and seminars, regularly timetabled slots for synchronised teaching and support, seminars to develop teamworking skills and group projects to develop simulated environments. Students report that the on-line discussion forums are underused and do not contribute significantly to their learning experience. The programme team acknowledges that they have been unable to establish the vibrant learning environment that had been anticipated at validation.
30 The programme validation stressed the central importance of formative feedback to students as a diagnostic tool to determine the effectiveness of distance-learning strategies. This strategy was re-stated as being the norm in the self-evaluation. In fact, feedback on assessed work has failed to provide the intended input to students' learning. Students report delays of up to seven months in the return of assignments, citing the example of the Information Systems unit. Students are able to use their assignments to apply and evaluate their industrial experience.
31 Faculty managers confirmed that the delays in the return of work to students fell below the standard expected by the institution. Programme tutors accepted that feedback had, in many cases, been too late to allow students to apply the academic guidance to later assignments. The programme team also confirmed that students had not received a clear assessment schedule for each academic year of the programmes. This is contrary to the expectations represented in the precepts of the Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education (Code of practice), Section 6: Assessment of students.
32 As currently delivered, the programmes do not address the spirit of the precepts of the Code of practice, Section 2: Collaborative provision and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning) published in September 2004. In particular, it is not achieving equivalence to the precepts in respect of access to appropriate support (precept B4), opportunities for inter-learner discussions (precept B5) and the timely provision of information to learners on their academic progress (precept B7).
33 The learning and teaching on the programmes has not been responsive to the needs and views of the students. Unit evaluations, expected by the Institute and planned at validation to elicit student feedback on their experience, have generally not taken place. Students, teaching staff and the Faculty senior managers confirm this shortcoming.
34 In the delivery of the programmes, with the exception of Lloyds TSB, there has been no direct contact between the Institute and employers, other than through the students' own experience. The recent development of a more formal link between the programmes and a major employer is a positive development. But it has created two distinct student groups: those students from the large employer study within the framework of a company strategy, with formal links between the employer and the programme; and those students on the programmes who work individually, sometimes without employer support or employer links with the programme. It is not clear that the current learning and teaching strategy can meet the varied learning needs of both categories of student equally.
35 Faculty managers acknowledge that the support system for students, described in the 2002 programme definitive document and agreed at validation, has not been effectively implemented. The system included a personal role for the programme leader, augmented by regular on-line contact and one face-to-face meeting each year. The Institute's mainstream student services would be delivered through this framework. Overall, the programme aimed to create what it called a 'student-focused culture' with regular on-line contact within the group.
36 Admission to the FDs is normally through a telephone interview with the programme leader. The electronic induction package gives students an introduction to the VLE, which is central to the delivery of the programme. This helpful initiative is undermined by the content, which is too basic and lacks the level of detail needed by students. On the programme, a range of useful course information is available to students on the VLE, including timetables, study guides and links to the Institute student support service group.
37 The retention level has been poorer than the Institute would have liked, although there is evidence that matters have been improved with the most recent cohort, recruited for 2004-05. Only two students remain from the 10 originally recruited in 2002-03. Of the 12 students enrolled in 2003-04, half have left before completion. Of the 2004-05 intake, all 16 recruits are still on the programmes, nearing the end of their first academic year. It appears to be helpful to retention that 10 of the 16 are from the same employer.
38 The failures in electronic communication and support include difficulties for students in contacting teaching staff. Students spoken to by reviewers reported particular difficulties in establishing and maintaining electronic and telephone communication. They have had to send email messages repeatedly to staff before receiving a response. Local students often resort to visiting the Institute personally. Once students have been able to contact tutors they generally have found them helpful and friendly.
39 A further difficulty for students arises from the lack of peer interaction on the programmes. The communication within cohort groups, including the use of on-line discussion forums, has not functioned as intended. The intention to provide synchronised academic support through one-hour timetabled slots has not been realised. Students confirmed that they feel isolated and report that the forums do not fulfil their intended purpose. Programme staff attribute the limited use of the discussion groups to small student cohorts, although alternative methods of compensating for this have not been put in place. Faculty managers are now reviewing the time allocated to staff for supporting FD students on the programmes.
40 For some students, there is also a lack of support from their employers, particularly where there is little or no contact between the employer and the Institute. Even for those students who are employed by the same national company there appear to be difficulties in maintaining meaningful contact between students within the group.
41 Overall, the problems of communication and interaction mean that the arrangements for learner support on the FD programmes have yet to begin to reflect the Code of practice, Section 2: Collaborative provision and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning), published in September 2004. They are not achieving equivalence to precept B4 of that section, which deals with student access to appropriate learner support. The poor quality of academic support is of particular concern when seen in relation to the high levels of withdrawal from the programme in the first two admission cohorts.
42 A well-qualified team of seven staff teach on the FDs. The teaching team includes a wide range of professional and academic expertise and a breadth of industrial and teaching experience. There is evidence of advanced scholarship and staff development to maintain industrial currency.
43 The Faculty Senior Management attributed some of the difficulties experienced in the delivery of the programmes to an over-reliance on part-time staff. This has contributed directly to problems with routine communication, as well as the implementation of institutional policy on student evaluation and assessment feedback. The reviewers agreed with their views. There are plans to redress the balance between full and part-time staff to ensure that a team is in place that can properly support distance learning.
44 The VLE is used to provide students with some useful learning and teaching materials. Materials cover eight of the 17 units and are supplemented by paper-based materials. For example, in units on Database Systems, Information Systems, and Software Development, the unit information includes notes on each weekly session, exercises, links to web sources and references to textbooks. Software Development also included model answers. The exercises are generally appropriate to the unit learning outcomes and the notes are supportive. However, the on-line material seen by the reviewers overestimated the knowledge that students can be expected to bring to the programmes. Students confirmed that on-line materials often raised questions of understanding that could not then be explored through communication with staff. It is not made clear in any of the units how students might obtain feedback from the most relevant of staff member, or their alternative, as they worked through the materials. The staff team confirmed that they need further training to support them in delivering the programme on-line. The development of the VLE in support of teaching is a target in the Faculty Strategic Plan.
45 Most of the students are in employment, in IT-related posts. Most report that their employers give them access to the necessary specialist facilities and technical assistance in their workplace.
46 Students have access to comprehensive on-line library information resources through the Institute's learning resources centre. These include a good range of specialist articles and periodicals. They can, for a charge, also request photocopies of journal articles or extracts from books.
47 It is expected that recruits will be engaged in related employment, although this is not a condition of entry. Those not employed are expected to arrange access to appropriate facilities to apply their practical learning within workplace situations. The process of work-based learning takes place without any direct involvement on the part of the employer as mentor or formative assessor. At the validation of the programme in 2002 it was recommended that guidelines be provided for employers, detailing the expectations and responsibilities associated with the operation of the programme. This helpful advice was not taken up and no guidelines exist either for the original, current or for the revised programmes. Most of the current students have made acceptable arrangements with their employers to apply their learning in their places of work.
48 The Institute does not normally communicate directly with the employers who sponsor their students on this programme. An exception was made in the case of one major employer, which has undertaken to sponsor a number of employees as part of its training programme. A significant change is planned for the September 2005 programme, which will strengthen employer involvement. The programme contains provision for an intermediate level Workplace Project worth 40 credits. This will be set in the workplace and must be of practical value to the employer. Each student will be assigned a workplace mentor who will be expected to draw up a learning contract with the student. Students without sponsoring employers will be expected to arrange access to other facilities to undertake the Workplace Project. At the point of validation there was no indication of how this would be operationally managed. No information was available to the reviewers in relation to the negotiation of workplace projects or the development necessary to establish a system of workplace mentoring. Employers were unaware of this development or any change that it would mean for their relationship with the programme. This major change in the programme has been organised without the involvement of the potential partners whose cooperation will be necessary for success. However, a member of staff has surveyed placement providers from the BSc Business Information Technology programme who may be seen as possible partners.
The reviewers have no confidence in the quality of the students' learning opportunities.
49 The FDs are subject to the quality assurance (QA) arrangements of the Institute, as specified in the comprehensive Southampton Institute Quality Manual and the Faculty of Technology operating and QA procedures and guidelines. These arrangements cover the full range of quality assurance procedures, including validation, minor change, monitoring by Annual Course Report, periodic review and the appointment of external examiners.
50 The Annual Course Reports for 2002-03 and 2003-04 contain unit reports for some units and an action plan for the programmes. There is no systematic use made of student feedback on the learning experience to enhance provision. The action plans for the programmes are unit focused and address relatively minor points of concern. The process has not picked up the significant areas for development in relation to programme delivery that have been identified in this review. Faculty managers report that the Institute is reviewing unit level evaluation. Current policy is that the outcomes of student unit evaluations remain confidential to the unit coordinator, which allowed the views of students on the FDs being ignored. The review team was given details of planned changes in the University quality assurance system to address the lack of triangulation of data in their procedures to prevent this happening again.
51 The self-evaluation claimed good practice in three respects: programme delivery through a VLE; the circulation of regular information from technical computing publications; and the alignment with BCS standards to ensure that the programme meets employer needs. The reviewers cannot support the claim in relation to the VLE in view of the significant weaknesses in programme delivery.
52 Students confirmed that they did not receive the claimed regular circulation of information from technical computing publications, but recognised that they might access this information on-line through the Institute learning resources centre. The reviewers therefore consider that they cannot support the claim of good practice.
53 The reviewers confirm that the alignment with BCS standards is a strength of the FD PCS programme and that it allows employers to recognise the FD qualification. The claim of good practice is supported by the reviewers.
The Foundation Degree (FD) in Professional Computer Studies and Professional Computer Network Studies delivered by Southampton Institute (the Institute) was reviewed in the academic year 2004-05. Judgements were made about the emerging academic standards and the emerging achievement of students and of the quality of the learning opportunities provided.
The Institute provides the FDs for part-time students in computer-related employment. They are based on the professional standards of the British Computer Society (BCS) and, originally, the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). The programmes reflect the Intermediate level of The framework for higher education qualifications for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Subject benchmark statement for computing. They are well designed to meet the needs of employers and students. Assessments predominantly relate to the workplace experience of the students and allow them to demonstrate the development and integration of academic learning with practical skills. Student work meets the standard required for the awards.
Overall, the reviewers have confidence in the emerging academic standards and emerging achievements of students.
There have been significant difficulties in the distance-learning approach to the delivery of the programmes. The Institute staff acknowledge particular problems in electronic approaches to learning and teaching, and academic support. The reviewers concluded that the programmes do not begin to reflect engagement with the spirit of a number of key precepts of the Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education (Code of practice), Section 2: Collaborative provision and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning), published in September 2004.
Overall, the reviewers have no confidence in the quality of learning opportunities provided for students.
Overall the reviewers have confidence in the emerging academic standards and emerging achievements of students.
Strengths of the programme include:
Areas for development include:
Overall, the reviewers have no confidence in the quality of learning opportunities provided for students.
Areas for immediate development include:
Strengths of the programme include:
The FDs are subject to the quality assurance arrangements of Southampton Institute as specified in the comprehensive Southampton Institute Quality Manual and the Faculty of Technology operating and QA procedures and guidelines. This has ensured the design of the programmes meet higher education sector, and industry, standards. However, the monitoring process has not been sufficiently sensitive in identifying operational difficulties relevant to the programme under review. Annual course reports had not addressed the matters raised in students' feedback on the learning experience to enhance the provision. The quality assurance process failed to pick up the significant areas for development in relation to programme delivery identified during the review.
Alignment with BCS standards is a strength of the FD PCS programme in that it allows employers to recognise the FD qualification.