Enhancements to the Programme Approval process

Currently the majority of the advice given in relation to new programmes is given at a Programme and Module Approval Panel (PMAP) meeting at the final approval stage when proposers are invited to attend the meeting and detailed feedback is given from a pedagogic, regulatory and student experience perspective This feedback, at the final stage of approval, is often too late in the programme design process to be of most useful effect. A number of enhancements to the process have therefore been explored in order to ensure that potential and significant issues are raised and addressed that much earlier in the process, at the outline stage.

1. In light of this, on 25th April 2019, UCL’s Education Committee approved five recommendations regarding the University’s Programme Approval process:
2. For the PMAP process to provide feedback at the outline, rather than final, stage of programme approval.
3. The continuance of meetings with initiators of programmes and the PMAP Chair and/or the Senior Policy Advisor (Programme Approval), on request, prior to submission of outline approval.
4. The introduction of an Arena Centre led programme development day in between the outline and final programme approval stages. This will be delivered as a pilot in 2019/20 and become a compulsory part of programme approval in 2020/21.
5. To include comments from Estates and Planning on all new programme proposals.
6. Amendments to the supporting paperwork:

• replacing the Outline Module Forms with a summary table on the Programme Proposal Form submitted at the outline stage
• to consolidate the contents of both the Outline and Final Programme Proposal forms into one Proposal form

New forms and templates will be available from 1st July 2019 for the 2019/20 UCL Academic Manual. Programme proposals which have already been completed on the existing forms and templates will be accepted in 2019/20.

Contact email for further information: acadserv.pmap@ucl.ac.u​​​​​​​k