Q115/95

Quality Assessment Report by the HEFCE for

Bolton Institute of Higher Education

Mechanical Engineering

March 1995

Contents

• Introduction
• Aims and Objectives
• Student Learning Experience
• Student Achievement
• Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction

1. This Report presents the findings of an assessment in March 1995 of the quality of education provided in mechanical engineering by the Bolton Institute of Higher Education. The first assessment was undertaken in October 1993 and resulted in the overall judgement that the quality of education was unsatisfactory. Arrangements for the re-assessment of the quality of education were agreed with the Institute and it prepared a self-assessment in December 1994.
2. The Bolton Institute of Higher Education was formed in 1982 from the amalgamation of Bolton Institute of Technology, founded in the mid-1960s, and Bolton College of Education (Technical), founded in 1947. In 1985, the Division of Art and Design transferred from Bolton Metropolitan College to the Institute.
3. The total student population of the Institute is 4,350 full-time and 3,050 part-time. Of these, 810 full-time and 300 part-time students are in the School of Engineering. The assessment covered the programmes in the modular scheme operated by the Division of Mechanical Engineering, in which 580 full-time and 130 part-time students are enrolled, and which lead to the following awards:

   BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

   BEng (Hons) Automobile Engineering

   BEng (Hons) Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

   BEng (Hons) Automobile and Manufacturing Engineering

   BSc (Hons) Industrial Design and Management

   BSc (Hons) Manufacturing Management and Systems

   Diploma of Higher Education

   Certificate of Higher Education

   BTEC HND Engineering, Automobile/Manufacturing/Mechanical Engineering

   BTEC HND Engineering, Manufacturing/Mechanical Engineering

   BTEC HND Engineering and Business Studies, commonly known as HND Manufacturing/Management

   HITECC Foundation Year to the Engineering course programme. Franchises are also available at Bolton College and South Trafford College.

4. A full-time, two-year accelerated BEng degree is also offered in Automobile Engineering and Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.
5. In addition to the Institute's self-assessment report, the assessors examined the HEFCE Quality Assessment Report Q139/94, published following the assessment visit of October 1993, the Institute's response document, course and quality assurance documents, papers associated with the recent revalidation of courses and external examiners' reports, as well as examples of students' work.
   
   

   Aims and Objectives

6. The mission of the Institute is `to establish the University of Bolton, widely recognised for the accessibility and responsiveness of its services and for its commitment to high quality teaching, learning and research', as a centre for the provision of vocational study programmes at diploma, graduate and postgraduate levels. This is to be achieved through promoting wider student access to higher education, flexibility of course provision and taking a major role in the economic, technological, social and cultural development of the Bolton area through the provision of advanced education, research, consultancy and training services. Specific objectives are to be fostered in a stimulating teaching, learning and research environment by enhancing academic standards, engendering an ethos of academic quality and quality of service to students and ensuring an efficient and effective delivery of educational programmes by committed, well-supported staff.
7. The aims of the Division of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering are intended to support the mission statement and to reflect the requirements of engineering as a professional discipline. These include provision of a HITECC access programme at foundation level, along with higher diploma and degree programmes to cater for a wide variety of entrants and to offer various levels and modes of study consistent with student ability and entry qualifications. The Division seeks to produce flexible, broadly based graduates, with motivation and intellectual powers, and to encourage them to pursue lifelong learning and personal development.
8. The study programmes are based on a modular structure with defined pathways, offering flexibility of subject choice, mode of attendance and field of study. Following recommendations made in the HEFCE Quality Assessment Report mentioned above, major changes have been introduced into course management and curriculum content and these now meet the stated aims and objectives effectively. They include giving more coherence to degree pathways, the separate management of HND/C and degree programmes and establishing subject teams to design and deliver modules with an emphasis on academic standards and quality. The programmes now have an individual identity and academic rationale. The perceived benefits of choice and flexibility, derived from providing studies within a modular framework, are maintained without any loss of coherence.
9. The syllabuses are conventional. The BSc courses are primarily concerned with management systems and industrial design. The HND/C programmes are well fitted to their purpose and have clearly benefited from being separated from the BEng programmes. The latter are intended to emphasise the understanding of concepts along with practical applications of materials, processes and systems. Generally, BEng modules achieve this, but some do not appear to offer as rigorous a treatment as could be expected. Overall, the programmes meet the aims and objectives of the Division.
10. Subject teams determine syllabus content and teaching, learning and assessment strategies, which are also influenced by staff research and industrial feedback. Group work, design work and laboratory investigations feature prominently, and a range of transferable skills are introduced. Tutorials are used selectively to support learning. Mechanisms exist to remedy any deficiency in mathematics identified among non-standard entry students.
    
    

    Student Learning Experience

11. The tutor system provides satisfactory academic support by course, year, mode and subject tutors. Module teachers inform year tutors of any problems and review sessions are held to identify student concerns and to enable swift corrective action. Relations between staff and students are excellent. Course handbooks provide valuable guidance and the Student Services Unit provides a range of services including counselling and financial advice. There is a comprehensive careers service, the effectiveness of which has been improved by the enthusiastic collaboration of the Division. Welfare services are provided independently by the Students' Union which collaborates with the Student Services Unit. Students spoke positively about all these facilities.
12. The extensive curriculum changes have had a beneficial effect on the quality of teaching. Joint teaching of students from disparate programmes no longer takes place. Different mixes of lecture, seminar, tutorial, laboratory and unsupervised learning activities are adopted within the programmes of study, according to subject needs.
13. Of the classes observed, approximately 13 per cent were graded excellent and about 85 per cent satisfactory. There was only one unsatisfactory class. Of the satisfactory classes, the majority displayed elements of good practice. These included careful planning, clearly stated objectives, logical, well-paced and interesting development of the subject matter, competent use of visual aids, high-quality handouts, and lively student interaction. There was, however, an overly descriptive treatment in some modules, to the exclusion of a more appropriate analytical approach. Student-centred learning is typified by case studies and by group and individual projects in which oral and written communication skills are developed and tested. Final-year project work observed by the assessors was of a high level and students were enthusiastic, had made satisfactory progress and were generally well informed and satisfied. This is in marked contrast to the 1993-94 project work.
14. The assessment regime places an unusually strong emphasis on continuous assessment, with correspondingly less on written examinations. The assessors concur with the external examiner's comment that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.
15. Teaching accommodation is appropriate. The laboratories have recently been refurbished and imaginative use is made of the equipment. A professional, attractive and stimulating environment for study is provided. There is an extensive computing facility with a good range of up-to-date software.
16. The library has been recently relocated, resulting in an increased area for book stock, other learning materials and study spaces. The new location, integral with learning resources, gives the students easy access to central computing facilities. The building fabric and fittings provide the students with an excellent working environment. Access hours are extensive: over six days a week. The book stock and journals are sufficient to support the present courses. The CD-ROM facility and the more recent addition of Internet have substantially enhanced the services available. There is close liaison between library and divisional staff and it is the intention, in the immediate future, to network the School's facilities with those of the Institute's central resource.
17. The major development of resources over a short space of time is evident throughout the Division of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Engineering must be congratulated on this achievement.
18. Support from industrialists for the recent efforts made was extremely good and they commend the School for the consultation which took place on the design of the curricula for the revised courses through the Industrial Advisory Group. The Technology Development Unit has also been relocated within the School, with full-time staff now involved in its work.
19. The School of Engineering has 51 full-time academic staff, of whom 28 are in the Division of Mechanical Engineering and these are to be supplemented by a further six appointments. The technician support will also increase by four. Other disciplines within the Institute contribute to the teaching, as do 14 part-time staff.
20. The academic qualifications and industrial experience of the staff are appropriate. Almost all have first degrees, 10 have masters degrees, five have PhDs, 11 hold teaching qualifications and 15 are chartered engineers. There is a balanced age profile.
21. The introduction of new members of staff and the restructuring of the management of the courses have had a positive effect on the quality of the provision. The intention to make further appointments to strengthen the teaching and support staff is particularly welcomed.
22. The Institute has a corporate staff development policy. The School has a development plan for full-time staff, which supports attendance at courses and conferences, improvement of staff qualifications and participation in the Institute's central programme. The School prioritises teaching and learning, in that teachers appointed within the last three years are expected to complete the Institute's Certificate of Teaching Competence. Two members of staff are taking this course and a further three have been identified through the appraisal process to attend the next session. There is also a pilot voluntary peer review system. This is a welcome initiative. It is not, however, as effective as it could be, but should significantly improve with the planned further development.
23. A new and much more effective school and divisional structure has been introduced. All courses offered by the Division have a course leader and a course committee which meets termly, and takes responsibility for quality control and the curriculum and its development. Student representatives are able to raise issues, which are actioned and resolved. This system works well. The course committees report to the school Quality Committee, which in turn reports to the Institute's Academic Standards Committee. Regular consultation with students also takes place through course review meetings and staff-student liaison committees for each of the schemes. These mechanisms are also effective and enable a fast response to issues raised.
24. Student feedback is also gathered through the use of questionnaires at course and institutional levels. The School is currently developing a system to obtain both staff and student feedback on individual modules.
25. The Institute has a policy and procedures for quality assurance which require the preparation of an annual report for all courses. This includes responses and actions arising from external examiners' comments. This process is working well. The Institute has also established a system of internal quality audit to test the procedures for monitoring and review set up at school level.
    
    

    Student Achievement

26. The School meets its objective of widening access by recruiting significant numbers of mature students and those with non-standard qualifications. Thirty-two per cent of students entering the BEng/HND courses in 1994 had BTEC National Awards and 30 per cent were from the HITECC route. Only 24 per cent entered with GCE A-Level qualifications and these were low, averaging between 5 and 6 points.
27. Students who complete their studies programme represent a considerable achievement in added value. However, completion rates are low. On full-time courses in 1993-94 there was a 12 per cent early withdrawal rate and, of the remaining students, 77 per cent achieved a positive outcome. This includes the HITECC course where the early withdrawal rate was 25 per cent and only 64 per cent of the remainder achieved a positive outcome. The single year's results available for 1994 BEng (Hons) graduates showed awards commensurate with the initial entry qualifications of students and substantial added value. Twenty-four per cent of finalists received First or Upper Second class degrees. Of the 1994 BEng (Hons) graduates from the accelerated programme, two mature students who had entered with good GCE A-Level grades achieved a First class honours degree.
28. Of the full-time graduates, 12 per cent had continued to further study and 68 per cent were known to be in meaningful employment.
29. The overwhelming impression given by students was that they had witnessed dramatic and beneficial changes during the last year. Students now identified themselves as having a part in the decision-making process and were at pains to point out that the whole ethos had changed and that they now felt that the staff were there primarily to help them succeed.
    
    

    Conclusions and Recommendations

30. The Bolton Institute of Higher Education claims to provide a satisfactory education in mechanical engineering. The assessors come to the overall conclusion, based on the assessment visit and an analysis of the self-assessment, together with the statistical indicators, that the quality of education in mechanical engineering at Bolton Institute of Higher Education is satisfactory.
31. The assessors wish to acknowledge the considerable progress made in securing and improving all aspects of the quality of the students' learning experience since the last assessment visit. Examples of this include the following:
    • There are instances of a very high quality of teaching and learning.
    • Full and enthusiastic support has been expressed by present students and many industrialists for the new dynamism and commitment by teaching staff to respond to student needs.
    • There has been a beneficial impact through management restructuring and by recent staff appointments on the quality of the provision.
    • Laboratories are now well equipped and organised; they are accessible to students, well supported by staff and technicians and provide an attractive and stimulating environment.
    • The quality of the teaching, learning and library resources has been considerably enhanced.
    • Regular consultation with students takes place through course review meetings. The assessors found strong support from students confirming the effectiveness of these in enabling a fast response to any problems raised.
32. The School of Engineering is broadly successful in achieving the aims and objectives in mechanical engineering and is committed to pursuing further improvements. In particular the assessors wish to highlight the following strengths:
    • The School meets its objectives of widening access, by recruiting significant numbers of students who have non-standard qualifications or who are mature, and substantial added value is provided.
    • Students receive a high level of academic and pastoral support from academic and technical staff.
    • Considerable benefits are derived from the students' use of specialist facilities, including the information technology (IT) provision, with increased access to PCs, availability of the Internet service and the networking across the Institute of the IT facilities.
33. The School and the Institute can build upon their achievements and strengths by considering the following recommendations:
    • The BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering programme would benefit from an increase in academic rigour in some subject areas.
    • Consideration should be given in the new scheme to making assessment more demanding across all programmes.
    • Consideration should be given to include formal links with the staff appraisal process in the further development of the peer review of the teaching system.

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