Reviewing the Quality of Education
The Aims and Objectives for Economics
Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Student Progression and Achievement
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) was established in 1997. It has responsibility for assessing the quality of higher education (HE) in England and Northern Ireland from 1 October 1997 under the terms of a contract with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The purposes of subject review are: to ensure that the public funding provided is supporting education of an acceptable quality, to provide public information on that education through the publication of reports such as this one, and to provide information and insights to encourage improvements in education. The main features of the subject review method are:
Review against Aims and Objectives
The HE sector in England and Northern Ireland is diverse. The HEFCE funds education in over 140 institutions of HE and 75 further education (FE) colleges. These institutions vary greatly in size, subject provision, history and statement of purpose. Each has autonomy to determine its institutional mission, and its specific aims and objectives at subject level. Subject review is carried out in relation to the subject aims and objectives set by each provider. It measures the extent to which each subject provider is successful in achieving its aims and objectives. Readers should be cautious in making comparisons of subject providers solely on the basis of subject review outcomes. Comparisons between providers with substantively different aims and objectives would have little validity.
Review of the Student Learning Experience and Student
Achievement
Subject review examines the wide range of influences that
shape the learning experiences and achievements of students.
It covers the full breadth of teaching and learning
activities, including: direct observation of
classroom/seminar/workshop/ laboratory situations, the
methods of reviewing students' work, students' work and
achievements, the curriculum, staff and staff development,
the application of resources (library, information
technology, equipment), and student support and guidance.
This range of activities is captured within a core set of six
aspects of provision, each of which is graded on a four-point
scale (1 to 4), in ascending order of merit. The aspects of
provision are:
1. This Report presents the findings of a review in December 2001 of the quality of education in economics provided by the University of Sheffield.
2. The University of Sheffield was granted a Royal Charter in 1905, though it has its origins in Firth College, founded in 1879. It currently has about 18,300 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. The University's mission is to maintain the highest levels of excellence as a research-led institution of international standing, whose staff work at the frontiers of academic enquiry and educate students in a research environment. Courses at the University are taught on a fully semesterised and modular basis. The work of the University is divided between seven faculties. All the provision within this review falls within the Faculty of Social Sciences.
3. Within the Faculty of Social Sciences, there are 377 FTE undergraduate students and 35 FTE postgraduate students in the Economics Department. Teaching is provided by 17 FTE members of staff, assisted by an administrator and three members of secretarial staff. Information technology (IT) support is provided by two IT support officers, shared with the Management School.
4. The following provision forms the basis of the review:
5. The statistical data in this Introduction are provided by the institution itself. The aims and objectives are presented overleaf. These also are provided by the institution.
The Aims and Objectives for Economics
Aims
The Department adopts all the aims listed in the University's Mission Statement. It has also noted the benchmark statement for economics education and adopts the following aims based on this document:
A1. To provide training in the principles of economics and their application appropriate to the degree concerned: single honours, dual honours or postgraduate studies.
A2. To stimulate students intellectually through the study of economics and to lead them to appreciate its application to a range of problems and its relevance in a variety of contexts. In doing so, students will acquire an appreciation of the economic dimension of wider social and political issues.
A3. To provide a firm foundation of knowledge about the workings of the economy and to develop the relevant skills for the constructive use of that knowledge in a range of settings. Students should acquire the availability to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired to the solution of theoretical and applied problems in economics.
A4. To develop in students, through the study of economics, a range of transferable skills that will be of value in employment and self-employment.
A5. To provide students with analytical skills and an ability to develop simplifying frameworks for studying the real world.
A6. To provide students with the knowledge and skill base from which they can proceed to further studies in economics, related areas or in multidisciplinary areas that involve economics.
In achieving these aims all our degree programmes necessarily encompass the following elements:
These aims and core elements are designed to cover the needs of both undergraduate and postgraduate economics students. It is recognised that the emphasis and proportion of time spent on each may vary with the specific nature of the degree. For example, the aims appropriate to an economics and statistics programme will necessarily place more emphasis on aspects involving quantitative and mathematical aspects of the discipline.
In addition the Department has adopted the following aims specific to taught postgraduate students:
A1. To provide research-led teaching at the frontiers of economic knowledge.
A2. To develop the capacity within students for independent research in economics.
A3. To equip graduate students with the techniques needed for professional careers in applied economics or economic research.
Objectives
The learning objectives of our economics degree programmes are driven by our aims. They are chosen to be observable outcomes which assess the extent to which our aims are being met. Again, our objectives have been set with regard to the benchmark statement for economics and are framed in terms of attainment targets for students. Also, it is again recognised that the emphasis between the different learning objectives may vary with the specific nature of the degree programme.
By the end of their programme of study undergraduate economics students will have acquired:
O1. a sound knowledge of the core principles of economics;
O2. an appreciation of the process of scholarship and research by which economic knowledge is acquired;
O3. analytical and quantitative skills necessary for the study of economic issues;
O4. a critical approach to concepts and theories and the assumptions on which they are based;
O5. an understanding of the problems involved in the application of economic principles to policy making at both the micro and macro level;
O6. an appreciation of the limitations of economics in the analysis of policy and the ability to draw on other knowledge to provide a better understanding of the issues;
O7. the literacy and numeracy skills necessary to develop logical arguments and to communicate economic issues to others;
O8. personal skills, including the capacity for self-direction, reflective and critical skills and an ability to work with others;
O9. a foundation of transferable skills which can be taken into a wide range of future careers. These include written and oral presentation skills, familiarity with IT and the ability to formulate and analyse problems in a simplified manner in order to facilitate practical solutions.
In addition postgraduate students will have acquired:
O1 an understanding of research methods as practised at the frontier of the subject;
O2 specialist skills relevant to careers in economics, development economics, finance and health economics.
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 review are:
| Aspects of provision |
Grade
|
| Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation |
4
|
| Teaching, Learning and Assessment |
3
|
| Student Progression and Achievement |
4
|
| Student Support and Guidance |
4
|
| Learning Resources |
3
|
| Quality Management and Enhancement |
3
|
8. The quality of education in economics at the University of Sheffield is approved.
The Quality of Education
Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation
9. The curricula effectively meet a wide range of undergraduate student needs through the collection of full-time single and dual honours degrees. Students may opt to spend time (one year or one semester) abroad as part of their three-year programme, although, in practice, few actually do. Those studying economics with a language must spend their third year of the four-year programme abroad. The various one-year masters degrees, also available as a diploma for those who do not write a dissertation, have a different specialist focus and may be taken over two years by part-time students. In addition, there is a one-year conversion course for students with a first degree in another discipline who wish to take a masters degree in economics.
10. Undergraduate curricula are coherent and provide a good knowledge of core economic theory, evolving in a progressive manner. All students receive a sound training in economic theory, quantitative methods and IT at Level 1, while there is further expansion to more intermediate economic theory and quantitative methods at Level 2. Single-honours students have an additional theoretical module at Level 3. The use of different starting points on the quantitative modules enables these to fit students' needs and yet to attain a common end point.
11. Optional modules are available at Level 2, Level 3, or in a group of Level 2/3 modules. There are no constraints on how many of the latter may be taken. Choice is greatest at Level 3 and students can specialise in their areas of interest. Single-honours students take a minimum of one Level 3 option module, plus the core theory.
12. A clear core for dual degrees enables students to follow a distinct programme in economics and yet retain flexibility for transfer at various points in the programme, most notably at the end of year one. Options enable students to use economic theory to explore a variety of policy issues or enhance their econometric and mathematical skills. At some points there is only a limited choice, although students appreciate the recent enhancement of availability at Level 2. Delivery of any optional module is conditional on sufficient students choosing that option, although during the semester of the visit, all offered modules were running.
13. Numbers are small on many of the masters degrees, although Money, Banking and Finance has buoyant numbers. Each degree has three compulsory core modules out of eight. Macroeconomics and a quantitative module, of appropriate level, are the only modules common to all programmes. The courses are well matched to the needs and aspirations of the students.
14. Learning outcomes are now clear in every module. Subject-specific skills, such as mathematics and statistics, are taught in Level 1 and Level 2 modules. Transferable skills are addressed in a series of skills programmes in Level 1; these skills are used and enhanced in many parts of the programme, although this could be made more explicit to students. Further, the reviewers feel that the ability to formulate problems, as laid out in the objectives, is not as clearly established as it might be if there was an optional dissertation. Curricula are kept up to date and informed by the research activity of subject staff. New modules are introduced (or removed) periodically to reflect the research interests of staff members.
15. 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.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
16. Teaching relies heavily on lectures and small-group classes. Classes cover a variety of specific formats; tutorials, seminars, workshops and problem-led sessions, as required by the needs of specific modules. The Department's Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC) regulates the form of delivery adopted, although there is no overarching policy. The Department follows university policy in that attendance at both lectures and classes is compulsory, however, attendance monitoring occurs only in classes. Attendance at lectures is very variable. The Department is committed to encouraging innovative delivery techniques. The reviewers found evidence of sporadic initiatives in this area, although there was good use of the internet.
17. Documentation provided to students, both in conventional form and through internet-based resources, gives guidance in terms of learning outcomes and objectives. There has been continuous improvement in the clarity of their specification, particularly in regard to knowledge and understanding, relevant analytical skills and subject-specific skills relating to economics. The learning experience of students is commensurate with the aims and objectives, and imaginative use is made of electronic techniques.
18. The overwhelming majority of 11 classes observed were of good quality or better, with appropriate use of learning resources and clear specification of the intended outcomes. In many cases, the teaching as well as the content of units was directly informed by staff research interests. Great importance is attached to the use of team teaching, particularly in core units, managed through the relevant teaching subcommittee. In addition to the specifying of learning outcomes, students are now given explicit guidance, through programme handbooks, on workloads and work requirements.
19. Assessment takes a range of forms. In some cases it is based entirely on an end-of-semester unseen examination; in others, there is a mixed diet of coursework and examination assessment, and in some modules assessment is by coursework alone. No fully articulated criteria for justifying variations exist, but it is clearly a managed process and assessment methods are generally matched to the learning outcomes. However, there is insufficient transparency about the assessment of generic and transferable skills.
20. In modules assessed by examination alone, formative coursework is provided with some feedback. In other units, coursework is both formative and summative. Different forms are used to provide feedback to students. The reviewers read students' work from 13 modules and noted significant discrepancies in the feedback given on returned coursework. Students felt that feedback gave them an inadequate basis for improving their achievement of learning outcomes. They also expressed concern about the timeliness of feedback, as they sometimes approached a second submission deadline, or entered a final examination, without the benefit of feedback on previously submitted work. The Department has made strong efforts to publicise assessment criteria, both in general terms of grade descriptors and at module level. Students were concerned that criteria were not being applied uniformly.
21. 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.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment: Grade 3.
Student Progression and Achievement
22. The Department recruits well to all its undergraduate
courses, with a good supply of high-quality applicants. In
its single honours course, for example, recruitment has
increased, rising to 89 entrants in 2001. There are
approximately 10 applicants for each place taken,
with some variation around this figure for specific dual
degrees. Entry is overwhelmingly on the basis of GCE A-Level
points scores and the average score for all courses has been
approximately 25 points, although there has been a modest
reduction in this entry score in 2000 and 2001.
23. For the postgraduate programmes, the ratio of applications to entrants has been even higher. A typical figure for the biggest recruiter, MA Money, Banking and Finance has been 15 applicants for each place. The Department has recently adopted more stringent entry requirements, but this has still allowed applicants to offers to be at a ratio of around 4:1. The concern at postgraduate level has been to turn offers into entrants and the Department is currently addressing this.
24. At undergraduate level, the student intake is predominantly male (generally 66 per cent or higher) although there is a more even split on the postgraduate programme. The Department has only recently commenced ethnic monitoring. Few mature students are recruited to the undergraduate programme.
25. Progression rates on the undergraduate programmes are high. There is a small net loss of students as the result of exercising the University's policy of flexibility, but almost all complete degrees within the University. Some 85 per cent or more of entrants typically complete their degree studies, and failures are predominantly at Level 1. However, up to 29 per cent of students in some individual modules, almost entirely in the first year, require a resit assessment in order to pass. In addition, a low number withdraw completely for academic or personal reasons.
26. External examiners and perusal of students' work by the reviewers confirm students' achievement of stated learning outcomes. Undergraduate students' degree classifications indicate good levels of performance, although there is concern within the Department at the low proportion of students gaining an Upper Second class degree or better. For single-honours students, the proportion is between 43 per cent and 50 per cent, with an average nearer 60 per cent for dual degree students. In 2001, there was an increase in the number of First class awards, although reasons for this were not apparent.
27. Achievement on the MA/MSc programme is also very impressive. Over the last three cohorts there have been no failures. Completion at Distinction level was generally relatively low before 2000, but there is some evidence of recent improvement, with just under 20 per cent of 2000 graduates, and 33 per cent of 2001 graduates, obtaining this award. No student has exited recently at the postgraduate diploma level. First-destinations data for undergraduate and postgraduate students are impressive; over 70 per cent of undergraduate students either obtain relevant employment or progress to further study. The review, however, did not include a meeting with either graduates or employers.
28. 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.
29. Although there is no published overall strategy, student support and guidance is given within a transparent and effective framework. The Department provides students with a helpful undergraduate handbook, which gives information about its aims and objectives and how these translate into the successful operation of its teaching and learning activities. Separate guides are also provided at Level 1 and Levels 2/3 of undergraduate study. There was no overall picture of option choice in a given semester. This could be usefully incorporated in the Level 2/3 handbooks. At postgraduate level, information is provided within a single postgraduate handbook. Information about welfare, academic, and other central services is given in a very comprehensive student handbook.
30. Applicants to undergraduate degree programmes are sent information about the University and the Economics Department and are invited to open days, which include a student-led tour of the facilities and small-group sessions with a member of staff. Comprehensive 'Intro Weeks' are provided for both undergraduate and postgraduate students to put students at ease with university life, provide guidance on information sources and study, tuition on key IT skills and initial contact with personal tutors.
31. All students are allocated a personal tutor on entry, who normally remains their tutor throughout their time in the Department. For dual honours students, help is available from relevant dual degree co-ordinators within the Economics Department. The Department has a designated women's tutor and special arrangements are made for students studying abroad. Tutors meet students each semester and there is an effective system of office hours, appointments and email contact. Students are also encouraged to seek academic advice from module tutors. Students reported that staff were accessible and regarded the personal tutor arrangements as helpful and effective.
32. A wide range of welfare and study-skills support is provided centrally by the University. Students may obtain such support either directly or through their personal tutor, and there is good liaison between personal tutors and centrally provided services.
33. The Department co-operates closely with the University careers service, which offers help and advice to students at all stages of their studies, including visiting the Department at various stages. Students are also helped when seeking part-time temporary and vacation employment, both to supplement their income and to gain work experience. Students spoke positively about the careers advice available.
34. 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.
35. The funding of learning resources reflects the outcome of budgetary procedures within the University of Sheffield. The book and journal collection is primarily located in the St George's Library close to the Department. Other social science material is held in the main, law and geography libraries. The main library and the St George's Library are open daily for a total of 70 hours each week, for most of the year. The St George's Library is a modern building with adequate seating, 38 PCs for student use, photocopying facilities and a generally quiet working environment. Before 2001, 25 per cent or less of the budget was spent on books and interlibrary loans, this rose to 33 per cent in 2001-02. Books are available for reference, long-term and short loan. There is an extensive collection of academic journals, to many of which there is electronic access. Students said that the library staff were helpful. There is close co-operation between the Economics Department and designated library staff. However, despite a significant increase in spending on books during the last year, students remain concerned about the availability of books, particularly for reference and short-term loan purposes. Their concerns appeared to be longstanding. Comments from staff and students suggest that there are reservations as to the currency and size of significant parts of the open-access stock.
36. The range of IT facilities is impressive. Within the economics and management building, students have dedicated access to 60 PCs at undergraduate level and 20 at taught postgraduate level. They also have access to over 1,200 computers available to all students at Sheffield University, including a significant number available on a 24-hour basis. The Department shares specialist IT staff with the Management School, who oversee all aspects of IT provision for economics students. Students have access to a comprehensive range of up-to-date computer software and there are plans to enhance computer provision further in the near future.
37. Teaching, learning and social accommodation is adequate, although some teaching accommodation is situated at a considerable distance from the Department. Teaching takes place in mostly modern, purpose-built facilities, equipped with up-to-date audiovisual equipment. Separate common rooms are available for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Effective support for the curricula is provided by an appropriate range of support staff.
38. 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.
Learning Resources: Grade 3.
Quality Management and Enhancement
39. Responsibility for monitoring and evaluation is primarily devolved to departments, reporting annually to the Faculty Teaching Quality Committee. In addition, the Faculty reviews departments' provision on a rotational basis over a number of years, the most recent for the Economics Department being in May 2001. The Department has recently refined its procedures to reflect the profiles of its degrees and the teaching and learning ethos. Responsibility for departmental monitoring lies with a number of bodies: the three teaching subcommittees (TSCs), the TLC, the Departmental Teaching Quality Committee (DTQC) and, overall, the Executive Committee. In addition, there are staff meetings which all members of the Department attend, together with student representatives. Each of the committees has specified functions with written guidelines for their activities, although the role and purpose and the place within the formal structure of the DTQC is unclear. Procedures exist for dealing with external examiners' reports and appropriate and effective action is taken where necessary.
40. The TSCs consider annual reports. This information is fed into the TLC. However, there is no clear formal evidence that the reports are acted upon, although a number of informal procedures indicate that there are no major problems. Dissemination of good practice takes place within TSCs and across the various team-teaching teams, although horizontal integration across the TSCs is still evolving within the Department.
41. The Department's annual review of teaching quality did
not, until recently, have formal procedures for ensuring all
aspects of the quality procedures within the Department feed
into this process. Many of the procedures and practices are
new to the Department and so are neither tried and tested nor
fully embedded into departmental activities. In particular,
the current review process concentrates on specific modules
and sub-groups and, until an away day in September 2001,
there was no real evidence of overall consideration.
The reflection that makes for well-formulated curricula and
coherent modules often takes place informally outside the
current formal structures.
42. The Department shows responsiveness and accountability to students. Student evaluation questionnaires are run for all modules and analysed by the TSCs. The full set of results of these exercises and the range of marks for different modules are now being placed on the internet for students to consult. There is widespread use of email and consultation hours to convey information to students, and a willingness to respond to students' wishes quickly and efficiently. The Department has instigated a series of year focus groups to ascertain the nature of student issues. Unfortunately, the focus groups do not have a formal reporting role. Further, the staff-student consultative committee was effectively dormant for two years. At the time of the visit, staff had taken over the facilitating of this committee, although it remained student led and there was evidence that it appeared to be on firmer ground.
43. A staff appraisal scheme for all members of staff exists. One function of this procedure is to identify individual staff needs, which is done effectively. However, it is not clear to the reviewers how broader staff and departmental development needs are identified, although staff development on web site provision is planned for 2002.
44. Various courses are provided to aid the development of staff and part-time teachers. Two departmental staff have undertaken the MEd and all new members of staff are allocated a mentor and must undertake a series of courses. Part-time teachers are required to attend suitable training. Formal peer observation of teaching is in its infancy in the Department, with the first official round having been completed in the autumn of 2001, although effective informal observation on a limited scale is longer established.
45. The self-assessment document provided an adequate basis for the visit and students were consulted in the latter stages of its writing.
46. 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.
Quality Management and Enhancement: Grade 3.
47. The quality of education in economics at the University of Sheffield is approved. All aspects make at least a substantial contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives and the aims are at least substantially met. The reviewers come to this conclusion, based upon the review visit together with an analysis of the self-assessment and additional data provided.
48. The positive features of the education in economics in relation to the aspects of provision include the following:
a. The effectiveness of the curricula in meeting students' needs (paragraph 10).
b. The good quality of teaching observed (paragraph 18).
c. The impressive achievements of graduates in obtaining relevant employment or progressing to further study (paragraph 27).
d. The close and effective co-operation between the Department and support services within the University (paragraphs 32; 33).
e. The excellent provision of information technology facilities for students (paragraph 36).
f. The clear and thorough procedures for responding to external examiners (paragraph 39).
49. The quality of education in economics could be improved by addressing the following issues:
a. The Department should reconsider the nature, extent and timing of coursework feedback and the scheduling of coursework submissions to ensure that coursework fulfils its formative role (paragraph 20).
b. Further consideration should be given to the range and number of books available to support the Department's teaching provision (paragraph 35).
c. There should be clarification of the roles and reporting mechanisms of the various committees involved in the Department's quality management and enhancement, together with appropriate staff development (paragraphs 41; 43).