1. This Report presents the findings of an assessment in January 1996 of the quality of education in sociology, with social policy and administration, provided by the University of the West of England, Bristol.
2. The University of the West of England was designated in 1992. Formerly Bristol Polytechnic, it is the product of a series of mergers between local colleges of technology, commerce, art and education, whose history can be traced back to the foundation of the Merchant Venturers' Navigation School in 1595. The University, which has over 22,000 students, occupies five major campuses within the city of Bristol. Sociology teaching is provided by the Sociology School, within the Faculty of Economics and Social Science, on a purpose-built campus at Frenchay in north Bristol. Social Policy, which is also taught by staff in the School of Health and Applied Social Studies, is located within the Faculty of Health and Social Care, in attractive listed buildings at the St Matthias campus, also to the north of the city.
3. There are 438 students taking the sociology module in Stage 1 of their course, and 806 are taking single or joint honours in either or both sociology and social policy in Stages 2 and 3. There are a further 230 students taking social policy modules outside the social science undergraduate modular programme, mainly within professional courses in health and social care. There are 30 students taking sociology masters courses. In the Sociology School there are 16 academic staff, with part-time teaching contributed by a total of 12 research students and visiting lecturers, as well as one research associate. Social policy is taught by three lecturers in the School of Health and Applied Social Studies.
4. The following provision forms the basis of the assessment:
The mission of the University of the West of England is the provision of comprehensive higher education. In tune with national and regional needs, it seeks to promote educational opportunity and equality in all its programmes. In keeping with this, the aims of the Sociology School, which provides sociology modules, and of the School of Health and Applied Social Studies, some of whose staff teach social policy modules, are:
2. Objectives
Whilst students are offered a wide range of choices and can tailor their studies to vocational needs or personal interests, we retain a strong commitment to traditional notions of academic discipline; accordingly, we seek to promote, at all levels, the academic virtues of interpretation, analysis, respect for evidence, sound judgement and clear self-expression. Our main objectives are:
6. The graded profile in paragraph 7 indicates the
extent to which the student learning experience and
achievement demonstrate that the aims and objectives
set by the subject provider are being met. The tests
and the criteria applied by the reviewers are these:
Aspects of provision
1. Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation
2. Teaching, Learning and Assessment
3. Student Progression and Achievement
4. Student Support and Guidance
5. Learning Resources
6. Quality Management and Enhancement.
Tests to be applied
To what extent do the student learning experience and
student achievement, within this aspect of provision,
contribute to meeting the objectives set by the subject
provider?
Do the objectives set, and the level of attainment of
those objectives, allow the aims set by the subject
provider to be met?
Scale points
1 The aims and/or objectives set by the subject provider are not met; there are major shortcomings that must be rectified.
2 This aspect makes an acceptable contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives, but significant improvement could be made. The aims set by the subject provider are broadly met.
3 This aspect makes a substantial contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives; however, there is scope for improvement. The aims set by the subject provider are substantially met.
4 This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
7. The grades awarded as a result of the assessment are:
8. The quality of education in sociology at the University of the West of England, Bristol is approved.
10. The curriculum for the social science undergraduate modular programme (SSUMP), which provides a disciplinary core appropriate to different levels of specialisation, plus cross-disciplinary study, is well matched to these objectives. It includes, for all students taking sociology, compulsory modules on theory and the formation and globalisation of modernity. A diversity of programme routes and wide option choice enable students to adapt their programme choices to fit their intellectual interests or career intentions. The principal choice of programme occurs towards the end of Stage 1, with options selected within Stages 2 and 3. Students praised the documentary information, the quality of counselling and the 'options fairs' provided to guide their decision-making. 'Y-shaped' modules, such as Health, Illness and Society, in which a core of common first-term teaching provides a foundation for second-term specialisation, provide additional flexibility. In addition to its role within the SSUMP, parts of the social policy curriculum are designed to support students on health and community-related professional courses.
11. A high degree of coherence is achieved by the focus of core sociology modules on the issue of modernity, which greatly facilitates students' understanding of potentially difficult bodies of theory associated with the compulsory module on Debates in Modern Social Theory. Similarly, original and innovative modules on the Holocaust; Race, Culture and Society; and Violent Behaviour, further integrate the curriculum, which is strengthened and kept up to date by staff research. This was evident in the modules on Education and Society; Organisation and Technology; Foundations of Social Theory; and Power, Crime and Social Control. Effective arrangements are in hand to support and encourage staff research, notably through the Centre for Social and Economic Research. The assessors found evidence, in the module specifications and samples of student work, of staff scholarship informing the treatment of current debates and issues, and the design and delivery of the curriculum.
12. Research methods training is provided from Stage 1 onwards and culminates, for sociology single honours students, in the dissertation. Students acquire a range of social scientific and more general transferable skills in their courses including quantitative data-handling skills, presentation skills and use of the Internet. The assessors support the School's intention to incorporate more comparative non-European material. In particular, the interests of a growing body of Muslim students may be served by greater emphasis on the study of Islamic societies. Recent staffing changes enable tuition in quantitative methods to be strengthened, enhancing students' acquisition of transferable skills relevant to employment and further study.
13. Within the masters programme a strong curricular emphasis is placed on research methods training, which students welcomed as equipping them for project work. The MSc Sociology, delivered with the University of Bristol, seeks to extend students' disciplinary knowledge and analytic skills, offering a wide choice of optional modules. The University's innovative MSc in Ecology and Society and the MSc in Social Science promote applied research skills, assessed through coursework assignments and a dissertation. Students' work, notably their dissertations, displayed high levels of attainment, often in fields related to their current employment.
14. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation:
Grade 4.
16. The assessors observed 19 teaching sessions, comprising lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops and a dissertation supervision, delivered by the majority of the full-time and part-time staff. Most of the sociology and social policy teaching observed was within the SSUMP, together with modules on the MSc Ecology and Society and a vocational course in health and community studies. Of the sessions observed, 37 per cent were judged to be of the highest quality, grade 4; 48 per cent were grade 3; 10 per cent grade 2; and 5 per cent grade 1.
17. The best sessions were well structured, drawing on up-to-date scholarship to stimulate students' interest, integrating theoretical and empirical material, and making connections with earlier and subsequent parts of the course. Most students prepared for their seminars well, using the regularly issued reading packs, which enabled them to participate fully in the intellectual debate.
18. Although the less successful sessions were generally well planned and informative, better use could have been made of the available audiovisual equipment to show the structure of a lecture or to utilise class time more effectively. When students were unclear about what was expected of them in seminars, their level of preparation and performance was undermined. This was exacerbated by variable student attendance. More consistent application of faculty policy on the use of registers would help to address this issue.
19. The course documentation and module handbooks provide helpful and clear guidance, especially in the SSUMP, on the aims and objectives for courses and modules, and on the relationship between teaching, learning and assessment strategies. However, in some social policy modules these linkages are insufficiently focused. Considerable emphasis is placed on independent learning, with clear specification of what students are expected to achieve. The most able students benefited from this, but where students failed to grasp these opportunities, preparing inadequately for seminars or groupwork, the learning experience of the whole class suffered. The School is addressing students' concerns about this.
20. At Stage 1, the strong emphasis on tests, assignments and examinations ensures that students cover a wide range of material within modules. Innovative forms of assessment are used, such as analyses of television programmes, writing broadsheet newspaper articles and book reviews, ethnographic projects and multi-media exercises. On the undergraduate course there is some bunching of assignment submission dates, with six pieces of work due in on the same date at the end of the first and second terms. Although this imposes pressure on students, as well as on the library and word-processing facilities, they were sanguine about this, acknowledging the importance of learning how to manage their work programmes as a useful form of self-discipline. This fits the School's ethos of promoting independent learning.
21. The assessors saw excellent examples of constructive written feedback from staff on assignments, such as in Women and Society, and Race, Culture and Society, but there is scope for disseminating best practice to all modules, with clear specification of objectives and assessment criteria, and guidance on how students can improve their work. External examiners' reports are generally enthusiastic about the quality of the learning experience, its outcomes and the appropriateness of the assessment. Students' work read by the assessors confirmed their views.
22. This aspect makes a substantial contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives; however, there is scope for improvement. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment:
Grade 3.
24. Current strategies to widen access include links with local colleges of further education running relevant access courses, and franchising arrangements which allow local students to take Stage 1 of the SSUMP at Chippenham and Bridgwater Colleges, entering the University at Stage 2. About 20 students each year enter from this route to study sociology or social policy. Relations between the staff of the University and the colleges are good, maintained by the cross-membership of committees, the moderation of assessed work at Stage 1 and visits to the University by college students. The students are well prepared for the transition from college to university, and appreciate the efforts of both sets of staff in helping them to acquire the academic skills and the self-confidence to meet the challenge of degree-level study.
25. Completion rates for both sociology and social policy within the SSUMP are generally good, especially at the end of Stages 2 and 3. Students have to pass all six modules at the end of Stage 1 and, as student numbers have grown and their entry qualifications have become more diverse, there has been an increase in non-progression to Stage 2, from 7 per cent in 1992 to 14 per cent in 1994. The Faculty's Teaching and Learning Committee is investigating the reasons for non-progression, which staff believe often derive from increased financial hardship and personal difficulties affecting students' academic performance. Procedures have been introduced to identify and support students experiencing either academic or personal difficulties, including a progress monitoring meeting half-way through the year and a strengthening of the personal tutor system.
26. Students achieve impressive degree results: in the past two years about half gained a First or Upper Second class degree and two-fifths obtained Lower Second class awards. The spread of marks obtained by the students entering with non-standard qualifications is more dispersed than for GCE A-Level entrants, but both the quantitative data and individual case histories provide clear evidence to sustain the School's claims to enhance students' intellectual abilities and capacity to engage in critical analysis. In the past two years, over half of the students entering with GCE A-Level scores of below 10 points or as non-standard entrants have graduated with First or Upper Second class degrees.
27. Coursework and examination scripts demonstrate a good level of analytical reasoning and written communication skills; the external examiners confirm the high standards achieved. Further emphasis on independent learning could be complemented by the promotion of students' awareness of the full range of vocationally relevant transferable skills which they have the opportunity to develop within the programme, and of their relevance to the world of work. Completion rates compare favourably with similar courses elsewhere. The masters programmes, which recruit mainly part-time students, aim to extend students' knowledge and analytic skills and to develop their competence as researchers, as a basis for careers or further study. These aims are met.
28. Recent destination data indicate that students enter a range of permanent and temporary occupations, with an employment rate six months after graduation in line with national norms for social science students. Three or four sociology graduates a year proceed immediately to higher degrees, and double or treble this number pursue other postgraduate qualifications. However, here as elsewhere, data on sociology and social policy graduates collected so soon after graduation are an imperfect measure of their subsequent achievements.
29. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Student Progression and Achievement:
Grade 4.
31. The sociology staff provide a caring and friendly academic environment within which students are able to develop positive and constructive relationships with their teachers and fellow students. Peer relations are good, enabling mature students in particular to share their experiences with other students. All Stage 1 students are allocated a personal tutor for their first year. Students have no personal tutor at Stage 2, but may seek advice from designated student advisers within the academic staff group. Generally, informal guidance is provided by module tutors, and time is formally allocated for specific academic responsibilities such as support for project work. Module tutors post set times on their office doors for students to see them, whilst student advisers offer surgery hours. Students are familiar with these procedures, using them fully and effectively, and reported that staff are willing to offer advice outside their scheduled hours. Although most staff share work rooms, tutors offer set times for confidential tutorials, and have access to an interview room for this purpose.
32. The various sources of help available, both within and outside the School are explained in well-written and accessible information on student support and guidance in the student handbook, module handbooks and induction material. Students accept that it is primarily their responsibility to seek help when they need it, but in response to the staff team's recognition that students' problems have not always been identified readily, effective arrangements for the regular monitoring of academic progress have been established. Although there is some evidence to suggest that remedial support is reactive rather than pro-active, the assessors are satisfied that the system of student support is as successful as resources allow.
33. As a routine part of the admission process, prospective students are invited to an open day at the University, and all mature students are interviewed prior to being offered a place. Students with disabilities are also interviewed, in order to ascertain their needs and to determine what assistance the University can provide. The support of disabled students is carefully managed and monitored and deserves special commendation. The University's Co-ordinator for Disabled Students has established a resource centre equipped with large-character software, a Braille embosser and a loop system, with technical support for their use readily available. Various sources of remedial support are available from personal tutors, through the study-skills programme of optional workshops, from the social science librarian and through the confidential study-skills service which provides one-to-one support sessions. Overseas students can gain assistance with their use of oral or written English though the University's 'English as a Foreign Language' service.
34. The University's centre for student affairs co-ordinates and delivers a number of services, including the learning assistance resource centre, a health centre, counselling services, accommodation and welfare advice, two crèches, and support for disabled students. The University's careers service, which also forms part of the centre, has a well-stocked and managed information library. Its staff collaborate with a faculty careers tutor to offer appropriate guidance, including a one-day careers conference for social science students. With only three careers guidance officers for the whole University, the service is operating at full stretch. There is also a university chaplaincy.
35. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Student Support and Guidance:
Grade 4.
37. An extensive range of computer facilities supports the teaching and learning process. All staff offices are network linked, and students have 24-hour access to 85 micro-computers to support the rapid recent growth in demand for word-processing and information technology (IT) facilities. Some congestion occurs as assignment submission dates approach, but students acknowledged the need to schedule their workloads and were well satisfied with the level of IT provision. The heavy investment in the independent-learning strategy provides students both with learning tools such as IT and audiovisual equipment and, crucially, with transferable skills through their use, thereby contributing effectively to achievement of the School's aims for teaching and learning. The University is at the forefront of initiatives in developing and utilising electronic resources such as text-based and video conferencing, and video libraries, as part of an explicit programme for moving towards IT-based education. This promotes the flexible provision of higher education, especially for part-time students.
38. The library service makes an equally impressive contribution to learning opportunities, demonstrating the careful strategic deployment of resources. Subject-specialist librarians work closely with academic staff to provide a range of study-support facilities. Books stocks are plentiful and up to date but, as both staff and students recognised, are necessarily supplemented by a series of measures to provide additional sources of information. These include learning packs, the regular supply of booklets containing key readings to support individual modules and the provision of lecture notes and readings on the Faculty's computer network. There is a wide range of IT-based facilities within the library, and special arrangements are made to support part-time and disabled students. Students reported some delay in inter-site transfers of requested items, and noise levels in the St Matthias library have been a cause of concern, but this is being addressed.
39. In conclusion, the assessors admire the effectiveness of the School's and the University's investment strategy in relation to learning resources, and the co-operative spirit underlying its delivery. In the face of the rapid expansion of student numbers and growing demand for independent learning and the use of IT, expenditure has been tellingly targeted in certain key areas. Students are well aware of the range of facilities provided, and acknowledge their own responsibility for scheduling their work to take account of periods of peak demand for books and word-processing equipment.
40. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Learning Resources:
Grade 4.
42. In relation to quality assurance, the assessors find an effective set of arrangements in place, involving appropriate links between local mechanisms and university-wide policies and practices. The framework for quality assurance is lucidly described in the monitoring and evaluation handbook. Within the Faculty, a wide range of reports and other devices are used to evaluate provision, including questionnaires, staff-student committees, modular and field reports, programme management committees and external examiners' reports. Students' views are solicited directly through annual questionnaires, and they are represented on a number of faculty committees. This provides a commendably broad data base for the review and evaluation of the student experience, and for advancement of the quality cycle.
43. The recent HEQC audit report concluded that 'the University's quality assurance system was generally working effectively', and approved the devolution of responsibility to faculty level. It noted the planned move to more student-centred learning, and judged that the University had effective systems for monitoring the effects of the transition. It is apparent that the recommendations offered in the report are already being addressed.
44. The Faculty's Teaching and Learning Committee provides a local forum for quality enhancement. Its initiatives are geared to promoting effectiveness and innovation, and raising the profile of teaching to parallel research. An internal faculty review procedure recently approved the work of the Sociology School and commended the enthusiasm and professionalism of its staff. Various measures are in place to support the induction of new staff and staff development, including a university appraisal scheme which involves the peer review of teaching. New teaching staff without three years' experience take a university professional training course, with a voluntary second-year course leading to the award of a teaching certificate. A mentoring system provides support for teaching staff, supported by timetable reductions. A wide range of staff development courses is provided for both full-time and part-time staff, including staff development weeks and away-days.
45. The assessors are of the view that the operational and quality mechanisms in place are capable of responding to the challenges of organisational change, and the demands of ensuring quality teaching and guaranteeing excellence in the students' experience of teaching and learning in sociology.
46. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Quality Assurance and Enhancement:
Grade 4.
48. The positive features of the education in sociology with social policy and administration in relation to the aspects of provision include the following: