Changes to Academic Partnerships for 2019-20

Main change is the addition of the double and joint research degrees as per Research Degrees Committee’s decision to allow these types of degrees to be developed at UCL subject to an approval process.

Click here to to go Chapter 8: Academic Partnerships Framework 2019-20

Other key changes are summarised below:

Paragraph 2.2.4 - Placements

• Removal of reference to medical electives as they do not fall under the definition of academic partnership even in the broadest sense (medical students from other universities coming to UCL rather than the other way around);
• Removal of reference to UCL Careers who no longer provide day-to-day support for the set-up of placement activity; and
• Addition of a reference to the Placement Documentation that is now available on the lading page of Chapter 8 in the Academic Manual. 

Paragraph 2.2.5 – Intercollegiate module sharing

• Addition of reference to the new student policy relating to intercollegiate module sharing.

Paragraphs 4.3.3 and 4.4.2 – Faculty Teaching Committee

• Clarifying that new proposals must be approved by the Faculty Teaching Committee instead of the Faculty Tutor. The Faculty Teaching Committee can decide to allow proposals to be approved by Chair’s action. 

Paragraph 4.6.4 - Authority to sign agreement

• Updating the paragraph to reflect the authorised signatories for academic partnership agreements that comply with the Council-approved Delegated Authorisation Limits for UCL. 

Paragraphs 4.6.1, 4.6.6 (deleted) and 4.6.8 – Memorandum of Agreement 

• These updates have been made based on Education Committee’s decision at its meeting in July 2018 to suspend recruitment activities and keep partnership programmes or modules closed for admissions for the next normal intake unless there is an APRG-approved, fully signed agreement in place with the relevant partner institution on 1 September in any year.

Paragraph 4.5.1 – Data protection

• Addition of guidance relating to the GDPR and its implications on data transfers outside the EEA.

Paragraph 4.8.5 – Termination of an academic partnership

• Amending the requirement to have in place a separate exit strategy when a partnership is terminated if that is already set out in the relevant Memorandum of Agreement; and 
• Updating the process for terminating a partnership following the inclusion of partnership questions in the standard Programme Withdrawal Questionnaire that will be submitted to approval later this term as part of the annual updates to the Programme and Module Approval and Amendment Framework. The updated PWQ removes the need for Departments to complete two separate forms to withdraw and terminate a partnership programme or route. The existing Academic Partnership Termination Form must still be completed for partnership terminations that do not involve withdrawing a programme or route. 

Annexes

• Academic Partnership Termination Form – updated to reflect the changes made to paragraph 4.8.5.
• Principles for the Management of Study Abroad and Student Exchange Partnerships – updated to reflect the set-up process and terminology for exchange agreements that have been reviewed by the Study Abroad team.
• Principles for the Management of Intercollegiate Module Sharing with other University of London Colleges – simplifying the definitions and wording to clarify that the distinction between the two approaches to set up and manage these arrangements depends on whether the student must take modules from another UoL Colleges to complete their UCL programme, or whether they can complete their programme at UCL without taking intercollegiate modules but may apply to do so as elective modules. Also added reference to the new student policy (see below).
• Addition of a new policy (Intercollegiate Module Sharing with other University of London Colleges – Student Policy) on how student administration is managed for students who study intercollegiate modules at another University of London College.
• Principles for the Management of Placements – removal of reference to UCL Careers (see paragraph 2.2.4) and updating terminology.
• Addition of the new Joint and Double Research Degree Partnership Form as an annexe. 

Contact: academic.partnerships@ucl.ac.uk