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Data and suggested actions for faculties and departments to use to review and adjust programme offerings and module diets for the 2020-21 academic year.
We are facing unprecedented times during this Covid-19 pandemic. The current situation will likely have long-lasting and far-reaching implications for higher education, but our focus for now must be on simplifications for the upcoming year, rather than seeking to make changes which are more far-reaching and which of course must be subject to full academic debate.
Through the upcoming period we must uphold our academic standards, meet our quality assurance requirements, and still deliver a world-class education. We are asking faculties to review their academic portfolios and modules using the proposed UCL Emergency Resilience Framework. This has been designed to help faculties identify whether adjusting and simplifying of their portfolio and module diets would help with the challenge of delivery for 2020/2.
About the UCL Emergency Resilience Framework
The UCL Emergency Resilience Framework is a set of data with suggested actions for faculties to use to review to adjust and simplify degree programmes and modules. Two decision trees [Word doc] accompany the datasets to support faculties with this rapid review.
It is also an opportunity for faculties and departments to let Academic Services know what other changes they would like to make. This framework recognises that faculties and departments with their discipline and curricula expertise will see other ways they want to adjust their portfolio for 2020/21.
The implementation of this framework will allow Academic Services to track the temporary changes that are requested to meet our quality assurance requirements as well as ensure any suspension of programmes and modules is done in line with CMA practices.
Purpose of the toolkit
This UCL Emergency Resilience Framework is intended to be used as a toolkit to support faculties and departments with the work that needs to be undertaken to prepare for the start of 2020/21. We will need to be as flexible and as agile as possible.
The principles underpinning this framework are straightforward:
- The UCL Education Strategy describes our priorities which will continue throughout this period. Our portfolio must continue to be distinctive and reflect the excellent breadth and depth of our academic expertise and be attractive to students, employers and the broader economy. For 2020-21 the emphasis needs to be on quality over quantity.
- Simplification will enable us to be flexible and to adapt rapidly, and will ensure our core education mission to students is maintained. We need to be able to respond quickly and productively to external opportunities and risks, creating economies of scope and scale. Internal structures of programmes should foster academic synergies and maximise student success. We’re recommending a 'form follows function' organisational principle, in terms of whether and how we might best adapt internal processes to enable the delivery of the Education Strategy.
- Given the current financial and student number forecasts, the demand shock to our portfolio could be significant. We need to focus our energy and concentrate our efforts on providing a high-quality student experience in 2020/21 and this must be central to the decisions we make. While maintaining student choice and access to the diversity of academic expertise are important aspects of a UCL education, every module and programme we offer to students must also be of the highest quality including whilst potentially being delivered remotely. Each programme must have good professional services support, a student cohort that creates a meaningful learning experience, and allows for the personal support that our students may need. There will be instances where concentrating the expert effort of our academic staff in fewer, better supported, high quality modules will ensure our students have the best possible experience at UCL throughout these uncertain times.
- Our short-term priority is to continue to recruit students at appropriate levels. Still, given the challenges of the pandemic, there is a high risk of significant under-recruitment in a number of programmes. According to 2019/20 data pulled from Axiom (specifically to be used for assessing programme viability) which models for a 65% reduction in overseas PGT student numbers, it is possible that up to 50 per cent of PGT income could be lost. It is essential that faculties have the forecasts to be able to make sensible decisions to mitigate the impact of low student numbers and income loss.
- We must plan carefully for the forthcoming academic year so that our education systems (Moodle, Portico) are properly structured to reflect the necessary changes to teaching and assessment. This will enable smooth and seamless student registration and enrolment on their programmes and modules.
- In undertaking this review, UCL will need to maintain compliance with obligations under consumer legislation. Legal and compliance guidance relating to actions necessary as part of the Covid-19 response will be circulated shortly.
- Delivering remote assessment should also be considered and adjustments made where necessary, significant changes were made to assessments in Terms 2 and 3 of 2019/20. It may be prudent to retain those methods of assessment into 2020/21 to ensure we are prepared for the social isolation requirements being extended further. In particular, we need to be prepared for another year where we are unable to deliver invigilated examinations at scale.
Datasets
Faculties have been supplied with filtered datasets that identify where they may like to consider adjustments and simplifications. The datasets are intended to inform faculties and departments as a mechanism of drawing faculties’ attention to areas of possible risk of business as usual, or for making necessary and difficult decisions about programme or modules.
Next steps
Faculties are asked to make decisions concerning their portfolios and module diets by 15 May 2020. If that deadline poses significant difficulties, Faculty teams should get in touch with Megan Gerrie (Convenor of Project Silver Sapphire Education).
Once faculties and departments have had an opportunity to make use of the data and review portfolios and modules, they can apply to suspend selected programmes or modules. There will be simplified regulatory processes, supported by the Academic Services team, to facilitate these decisions. The Sapphire project will also review the applications in light of external regulatory requirements, such as those emanating from the OfS and CMA.
This rapid review process reflects the urgent need to simplify the portfolio and module offering for 2020/21. It is not as a replacement for a more comprehensive approach to portfolio review and complexity that is being developed to assist for 2021/22.
The Framework and Toolkit
Key: This coding refers to the data grid set out in the full Emergency Resilience Framework and Toolkit [Word], Page 3 and the accompanying Emergency Resilience Framework decision trees document. [UCL login required]
| Data source | Description of data |
|---|---|
P1 | This spreadsheet shows M-level degrees that have 10 or fewer students in 19/20 and 20 or fewer applications for 20/21. The spreadsheet also shows PG Certs and PG Dips that seem to be ‘standalone’ (not part of an M-level degree) and have low student numbers. |
P2 | This spreadsheet is a list of new programmes that were expected to be launched in 2020/21. |
P3 | This spreadsheet shows a list of degree programmes with large numbers and fewer than 50% international students. These programmes could be considered for expansion. |
P4 | This spreadsheet shows tuition fee income per student (FTE), with a reduction of 65% for international students cancelling or deferring, to determine the impact on total tuition fee income and headcount by programme. It also shows any of the programmes would have fewer than 10 students after the 65% reduction. |
P5 | This spreadsheet lists degree programmes with more than 30% of students from the Top 10 countries that UCL students come from. |
P6 | This spreadsheet provides a list of PGT degree programmes which offer PG Certs and PG Dips, to examine whether these PG Certs/Dips could be shifted to run in Term 2 and Term 3 of 2020/21 (moved out of Term 1). |
P7 | This data will need to be provided by departments. |
M1 | This Tableau provides a list of modules with 10 or fewer students and to which programmes the students belong. |
M2 | This spreadsheet is a list of potentially generic research skills modules that could be clustered by discipline/Faculty and run in larger groups. |
M3 | This data will need to be provided by departments. |
M4 | This data will need to be provided by departments. |
M5 | This data will need to be provided by departments. |