1. This Report presents the findings of an assessment in January 1997 of the quality of education in electrical and electronic engineering provided by University College London (UCL).
2. University College London was founded in 1826. It was the first English university to admit students regardless of class, race or religion and the first to admit female students. There are currently over 14,000 students, of whom nearly 5,000 are postgraduates and over 4,000 are from overseas. The College comprises eight faculties containing over 64 departments, as well as the Institutes of Child Health and Ophthalmology. The Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering is located in the Faculty of Engineering.
3. The Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering comprises 11 professors, two readers, six senior lecturers, nine lecturers, two Royal Society Fellows, one UCL research fellow and 15 research assistants. There are 10 visiting professors, two honorary research fellows and four other visiting staff. The Department caters for 248 undergraduates, of whom 94 are from overseas and three are part-time, and 115 taught postgraduates, of whom 22 are from overseas and 41 are part-time. There are 64 research students, of whom 13 are from overseas and 22 are part-time. There are 247 undergraduate and 163 postgraduate full-time equivalent students.
4. The following provision forms the basis of the assessment:
The general aim of the Department is to provide education of the highest quality in all aspects of Electronic Engineering, preparing students for professional and academic careers. In order to do this, the Department aims at providing all students with a high quality, challenging yet friendly environment in which to study and learn, and to help them develop their knowledge, critical thinking, analytical ability and their interpersonal, communications and decision-making skills.
More specifically:
Upon successful completion of a BEng or MEng programme, graduates should have acquired:
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 electrical and electronic engineering at University College London is approved.
10. The content of all the course units is uniformly demanding and traditional in nature, in accordance with the aim of providing electronics degree programmes 'recognised by academia, industry and commerce as being in the first rank'. Topics are often studied in great depth and are intellectually challenging for even the most able students. The programmes provide a wholly appropriate background for further study for either a taught MSc or a PhD.
11. The curriculum is substantially informed by the research and industrial activities of the academic staff. Most have international research reputations and close connections with European industry. Consequently, third and fourth-year modules are characterised by up-to-date technology and industrial relevance. Development of transferable skills is not covered in non-technical modules, but permeates all course units in line with the programme objectives.
12. Projects constitute an important part of each programme and are often directly associated with state-of-the-art research. BEng projects include a significant amount of research, development or design. The project supervisor and second assessor discuss proposals, which are carefully formulated to reach achievable aims. Project titles are e-mailed to second-year students in the third term. MEng projects are specified through discussions between the Department and industrial collaborators who identify specific targets to be met.
13. The Department's aims and objectives particularly emphasise the postgraduate provision, which consists of seven taught masters programmes covering different subject areas in different formats. Approximately a third of the Department's students are taught postgraduates. Three MSc courses (Microwaves and Optoelectronics, Spacecraft Techniques and Satellite Communications, and Information Technology) are conventional full-time and part-time taught programmes, with subject overlap with the third and fourth undergraduate years.
14. The Department offers a variety of MSc-level programmes in telecommunications. All are taught intercollegiately with other University of London colleges (Imperial, King's, and Queen Mary and Westfield) and draw upon staff from those colleges. A part-time IGDP and full-time MSc in Telecommunications are offered within the Department. Each involves 10 course modules, from a portfolio of 15 available, with five designated as core modules for the full-time MSc. In the IGDP/MSc programme, each module has a module manager and an industrial monitor from a major telecommunications company. This provides an outstanding industrial base to support the course content and structure, addressing exactly the underlying aims and objectives. Two further MSc Telecommunications programmes, specifically designed for British Telecom employees, are delivered at the company's sites in Milton Keynes and Martlesham. The Master of Research (MRes) in Telecommunications requires the completion of six modules, a project and a course on generic and transferable skills.
15. Course-monitoring records confirm the substantial influence of departmental research, ensuring up-to-date postgraduate subject content. An excellent example exists in the MSc Information Technology conversion course, where students have produced a professionally constructed interactive and user-driven directory and glossary of information technology (IT) terms; this is available on the world-wide web, but restricted to UCL users, and is proving to be a useful teaching aid.
16. 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.
18. The assessors observed 24 teaching and learning sessions, involving 22 members of staff. The sample of observed work involved most of the staff teaching during the assessment visit, and covered a range of MSc sessions and undergraduate activities across the first, second and final years, including lectures, tutorials and laboratory work. Of the observed sessions, 42 per cent were grade 4, 49 per cent grade 3 and 9 per cent grade 2, indicating a high quality of teaching overall. There were no grade 1 sessions.
19. Important features of the teaching are the input from the research groups and the individual tutorials which promote interaction and understanding. Strong subject authority and quality of content were exhibited in all areas, and the most effective teaching was characterised by well-prepared and detailed handouts, well-chosen examples and active discussion. Less successful teaching was characterised by a lack of structure or identification of clear objectives, disjointed presentation, little interaction and loss of students' interest.
20. The modular assessment methods vary, but students are assessed primarily on end-of-year formal examinations, supplemented by continuous assessment of coursework, evaluation of transferable skills, and projects. Undergraduates receive good feedback on their work and can discuss and work through their coursework and test scripts with their tutors.
21. BEng project assessment has recently been altered and a new scheme is operating in the current session. The major part of the mark is invested in the student's project report. Supervisors advise their students on final layout, although students also receive some exposure to outline frameworks and professional presentation. A more complex assessment is used for the MEng team projects; this involves the active participation of the industrial collaborator and reflects the group synergy and individual presentations. Consequently, two sets of criteria are used, involving both group and individual marks.
22. Assessment in the taught postgraduate courses covers mandatory and optional elements, and the project. For the telecommunications programmes, a module is taught intensively over four days, with time available for self-study, tutorials and revision; this structure is successful and popular with the students. Students are assessed by formal examination, coursework, written dissertation and, in the case of MRes students, a transferable skills element which involves assessment of a presentation made by them at a one-day symposium. Open-book examinations are used in the assessment of the more descriptive postgraduate modules.
23. This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment:
Grade 4.
25. All undergraduate students take four course units each year. Passes in a total of three, six and 12 course units are required to progress to years two, three and four respectively. Nine and 14 course units are needed to obtain a BEng and MEng degree respectively. Examinations are held at the end of each academic year. Borderline cases are considered by the Examinations Board, which submits recommendations to the external examiners for ratification. Tests at the end of the first term give an early indication of progress of first-year students. Students may resit any failed course unit twice.
26. Failure rates show a typical pattern, with the highest rate at the end of the first year. Whilst the statistics show only minor variations from year to year (cohort numbers are relatively small), the Department is concerned about the increasingly high first-year failure rate for home students. Possible causes and remedies are being investigated. Currently, additional mathematical support is available, and departmental tutors devote more time to problem-solving and ensuring that first-year students prepare and maintain a personal plan which is reviewed at each tutorial. Results of recent end-of-term tests are encouraging, but the May examinations will indicate the adequacy of action taken and whether further remedial work, such as extra mathematical support, is required. This issue should be kept under review.
27. Acquisition of written and oral presentation skills, and computer literacy is evident in laboratory work, the third-year project and the fourth-year team project. However, there is scope for improvement in the planning and written presentation of some BEng projects. In contrast, the MSc projects are of a significantly more uniform quality, and the MEng projects are notable for their design and industrial input. Overall, students' work is of high quality. Some 90 per cent of first-year students ultimately gain a degree, and half the students graduating in 1995 and 1996 obtained either First or Upper Second class honours BEng or MEng degrees; about 19 per cent obtained Third class honours degrees.
28. Employment prospects are good for BEng/MEng graduates and about 80 per cent of them are employed six months after graduation, with a further 10 per cent of destinations unknown. In particular, industrialists confirmed that MSc Information Technology graduates are highly employable; in 1996, all had secured employment within a few weeks of course completion.
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. New students attend induction sessions on arrival. In discussions with the assessors, undergraduates expressed their satisfaction with the induction process. Overseas students who had not previously visited UCL were satisfied with their choice and confirmed that they received adequate information prior to arrival in the UK.
32. All first-year students not living at home are allocated a place in halls of residence, as are the majority of final-year students. UCL is currently acquiring additional accommodation: a further 160 places will be available in 1997, with 185 more in 1998 and a further 600 places planned by 2003-04. The central Student Residences Office assists students without a place in hall to find private accommodation.
33. First and second-year undergraduates are allocated a personal tutor whom they meet on a regular basis in small groups to discuss both academic and pastoral issues. The undergraduate tutor is also available to deputise for the personal tutor, to consult on course options and transfers to other courses, and to maintain records (of illness, for example). Undergraduates regard the tutoring system as one of the most important aspects of their UCL experience. Many regard the personal tutor as their first port of call for all problems, and if they cannot see their tutor immediately, they can usually arrange an appointment within 24 hours. Students commented on the very approachable staff and friendly departmental atmosphere.
34. Second-year students are allocated a different personal tutor. This ensures that at least two members of staff are familiar with each student and his/her work. The role of the second-year tutor is currently under review in the Department. In the third and fourth years, the tutor is replaced by a project supervisor. In addition, postgraduate students have access to the Department's postgraduate tutor.
35. Students can also seek advice from the faculty tutor, and from a wide range of college services, including a health and counselling service. Day-nursery facilities are available for students with young children, and considerable efforts are made to enable disabled students to pursue their studies. The Flemingo Society, named after Sir Ambrose Fleming, is a departmental society organised by the students and partly financed from departmental funds. Its activities include providing information, organising an industrial forum at which employment and career prospects are discussed, and providing each new undergraduate with a 'guardian' or mentor.
36. Careers guidance for undergraduates and postgraduates is provided by the central careers service, which liaises closely with the Department's careers adviser. A comprehensive programme of advice comprises assistance with vacation employment in the first year, interviewing skills in the second year and a range of career seminars, employment fairs and selection tests in the final year. Use of the Internet for job searching is increasing and some 10 per cent of graduate vacancies are now on the system.
37. 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.
39. There is a shortage of accommodation throughout the College. The library space allocated to current journals allows little room for browsing. General study space in the library is limited, although accommodation for using bound journals is reasonable. Students have access to the British Library and the University of London's library in Senate House. Staff in the Department also lend personal copies of books to students to ease the pressure on recommended course texts in the library.
40. The Department 'aims at providing all students with a high quality, challenging yet friendly environment in which to study and learn'. However, the undergraduate laboratory provision is dated in terms of furniture and equipment, the laboratories are small and some are operating at saturation. The Department has secured an additional £100,000 in each of the next two financial years to improve undergraduate laboratory accommodation and equipment.
41. The departmental IT provision is good. There is a cluster of 35 workstations with open access, with another 20 distributed throughout the Department. Students secure all the IT support they need to complement their teaching and learning requirements in the Department, and make minimal demands on the College's central IT provision. Access to networking and teaching packages is exceptional, and the Department has also designed teaching/research software in support of the programmes. Technical support is adequate.
42. The suite designed and recently refurbished to support the more recent postgraduate programmes is of a high quality, incorporating a well-lit and newly furnished lecture theatre, a common room and refreshment area. This provision supports the intensive teaching programme and instils a good team spirit amongst the students.
43. 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.
Learning Resources:
Grade 3.
45. Students' views are obtained through unit teaching questionnaires, meetings with personal tutors and the Student-Staff Committee, which meets at least twice each session. The questionnaires are analysed by the chairman of the Board of Examiners, who discusses their content with members of staff before reporting on the outcomes to the Faculty Teaching Committee. Minutes of this Committee are also circulated to academic staff, students and the Dean of Students, but there is no regular student representation on the Departmental Teaching Committee. The use of e-mail for communication between students and staff is a very useful mechanism for interaction.
46. Examination scripts are anonymous and, like most assessed work, are double-marked. BEng projects are marked independently by the supervisor and a second assessor. A project panel moderates and ensures consistency; it concentrates primarily on borderline cases, high achievers and failures. The internal examiners meet annually to review and analyse the examination results and make decisions on any revisions required in course content or operation. External examiners' comments and reports are considered by the Departmental Board of Examiners and the Departmental and Faculty Teaching Committees. Responses to these reports are now made to the individual examiners by the chairman of the Board of Examiners.
47. The College Teaching Committee (predecessor of the College Academic Committee) has established a rolling programme of internal academic audit of departments and degree programmes, known as 'internal quality audit' (IQA). The Department was audited for the second time in January 1996. Areas of good practice were identified and some recommendations were made. The assessors endorse the College's view that IQA is an extremely important part of UCL's quality assurance process.
48. Peer observation of teaching began in the Department in 1994-95 in accordance with college policy. Each member of academic staff is assessed annually by a colleague, who produces a report for the undergraduate tutor. Although appropriate staff development needs may be identified through this process, in practice this has not yet occurred.
49. The College has a scheme for staff review and development. Reviews are carried out biennially by trained reviewers in the Department. The intention is to refer any development and training needs to the Personnel Director. However, the 1994 HEQC audit report indicated a widespread view that this process had little bearing on staff career development, a view shared in the Department. The process is therefore progressing slowly in the Department, with little evidence that it helps to identify staff development needs. However, there are alternative informal arrangements for staff development, including the use of research funding to finance activities for academic staff, as well as some limited attendance by academic, technical and administrative staff at central college events. Some academic staff are active within their professional institution and other professional organisations, and these activities provide further staff development opportunities. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement in this area, including identification of mechanisms for sharing good practice in teaching and learning.
50. Academic appointments are for a probationary period of (normally) three years. An experienced member of staff is assigned to each probationary lecturer as a mentor who provides advice and attends lectures and other teaching sessions. The Department actively supports these arrangements, which are operating satisfactorily.
51. The self-assessment tends to be descriptive rather than evaluative. The initial statistics lacked consistency and needed clarification. Although the document formed the basis for the assessment, further information was required. In particular, aspects of quality assurance, including staff development, needed elaboration.
52. 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.
Quality Assurance and Enhancement:
Grade 3.
54. The positive features of the education in electrical and electronic engineering in relation to the aspects of provision include the following: