Programme Excellence Project (PEP): Module Review and the Module Operating Model

A reminder of our earlier briefings can be found here:

• Programme Excellence Project: Why are we doing it and how does it link to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)? 
• Programme Excellence Project governance and partnership with faculties and departments 
• Programme Excellence Project: developing frameworks for excellence in education 
• Programme Excellence Project: improving student experience through curriculum and module reform

We outlined aspects of the underlying rationale for PEP3 and the MOM in our staff news article last week, focused on the findings of the Module Landscape Study (February 2026).

PEP3: Module Review

PEP3: Module Review is the third and final stage of the Programme Excellence Project (PEP). It launched in February and will run until spring 2027, culminating in the launch of the 2027/28 module catalogue. The focus of PEP3 is to:

1. Support the implementation of the Curriculum Design Principles at module level, especially ‘Structured Progression’ and ‘Coherent Choice’;
2. Facilitate the implementation of course changes made during PEP2B and delivery of modules in 2027;
3. Enhance student and staff experiences, including by supporting improved organisation and management scores in the National Student Survey and reducing staff workload;
4. Strengthen quality assurance by aligning module design and delivery with quality frameworks and UCL regulations;
5. Facilitate academic review of module design, including the refresh of module outcomes and assessment design to ensure module content remains cutting-edge;
6. Streamline UCL’s module portfolio by reducing unnecessary complexity for enhanced operational efficiency;
7. Support the implementation of CourseLoop and improvements in how we manage curriculum data, including relating to course diets and module collections;
8. Support improved module and course delivery processes, including module selection and registration, degree awarding, and timetabling.

UCL module definitions

Modules are defined in UCL’s Curriculum Definitions (originally approved by Education Committee in February 2025 and updated in February 2026) as: ‘units of learning used by most UCL departments to deliver course learning outcomes and facilitate teaching’. This definition expands on the Academic Manual definition of modules as ‘self-contained, credit-rated blocks of learning and teaching which, when combined, form a taught programme of study’.  

At UCL we have three main module categories: 

• Core module – a module which students must take to achieve course learning outcomes 
• Optional module – a module that students can choose to take as part of their course that delivers course learning aims and enables them to achieve course learning outcomes 
• Elective module – a module that enables students to meet the credit requirements of the degree but is not primarily intended to deliver course learning outcomes. Elective modules typically enable students to pursue study outside of their core discipline(s).

For further detail on module curriculum definitions and technical definitions, see UCL’s Curriculum Definitions.

Why we need PEP3 and the development of the Module Operating Model

UCL has one of the largest university module portfolios in the UK. In 2025/26, there were 7,812 unique modules, with 6,772 active (running). Some modules also have multiple ‘deliveries’ (such as where a module is delivered more than once in a year). In 2025/26 there were 9,343 individual module deliveries. Modules are frequently shared across courses, departments and faculties, undergraduate and taught postgraduate cohorts, and ‘home’ and ‘visiting’ students.

As illustrated in the Module Landscape Study and PEP3B data, a significant proportion of UCL’s current module portfolio is also non-standard, e.g. operating outside of existing Academic Manual regulations and norms. This complexity contributes to many of the well-known UCL challenges around degree awarding, module selection and registration, scheduling and timetabling.

Students also report inconsistent module experiences and that courses don’t always feel coherent and/or support progression or cohort belonging. Variations in credit load, where students can take different amounts of credit across terms and are, for some courses, required to take 0-credit modules of additional course content, can create unbalanced and inequitable workloads. This can have a negative impact on student wellbeing and contribute to awarding gaps, an issue highlighted by the TEF panel in 2023.

In 2025, the PEP team worked with the UCL community through roundtable conversations and Student Academic Representative consultation, supported by insights from the Module Data Dashboard and Module Landscape Study. This informed the design of the Module Operating Model, approved by Education Committee on 21 April.

The Module Operating Model

UCL’s Module Operating Model (MOM) has been designed to support education excellence and the enhancement of student and staff curriculum experiences. It brings greater consistency to module design and delivery, strengthening alignment with quality frameworks, degree awarding, timetabling and module selection. This will support us offer students more realistic study choices and reduce pressures on staff.

The MOM is intentionally flexible, accommodating different disciplinary requirements and pedagogic approaches to module curriculum design and delivery. A small number of modules may still need to operate outside of the MOM principles; these ‘non-standard’ modules require approval from the Programme Amendment and Review Committee (PARC), as the Education Committee nominee for non-standard curriculum oversight.

The MOM will apply to all modules from the 2027/28 academic year, unless otherwise agreed. Ahead of PEP3C which will support this, we invite colleagues to review the MOM available on the PEP Sharepoint site – where each principle is grouped under their associated UCL Curriculum Design Principle with a rationale for why it is being introduced.

We thank all colleagues and students who have supported the development of the MOM. If you have any questions, please get in touch with the PEP team at: pepteam@ucl.ac.uk

Final thoughts

PEP3: Module Review is the most impactful element of the Programme Excellence Project, offering significant opportunities to improve the student and staff experience of the curriculum and associated processes.

We also recognise that PEP3 is one of the most challenging stages for module and course leads and departments. Despite being designed to address longstanding pain points for the UCL community, we are aware that some MOM principles will be less universally welcomed and will create difficult decisions about module design and delivery.

There will of course be the opportunity for course teams to put forward the case for non-standard modules as part of PEP3B. The PEP Programme Amendment and Review Committee (PARC) panel will be supportive of their approval wherever there is a sound rationale. The PEP, Higher Education Development and Support Institute (HEDS), and Education Services teams will all also be on hand to support along the way.

Next week’s final article in this PEP communications series will, alongside a recap, set out our plans for the project’s next steps, including the strategic implementation of PEP for 2027 entry and PEP’s evaluation. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.