1.1 This guidance is applicable for all activity where the achievement of the learning outcomes for a module or programme offered by the College is dependent on the arrangement made with a body/institution external to King’s.
1.2 The guidance is designed to support the delivery and development of the College’s collaborative provision.
2. Assessment of Risk
2.1 All collaborative provision arrangements entered into by the College should reflect the ethos and values of the College’s mission. Before approval is given
consideration should be given to the ethical policies and procedures embedded within College Governance.
2.2 The academic standards of awards developed and delivered through collaborative provision arrangements, as well as students’ educational experiences, must be equivalent to those delivered solely by the College and will also be compatible with any relevant UK benchmarking information.
2.3 The College must be satisfied that a Partner is legally empowered to contract with the College and has the necessary legal and regulatory capacity to grant academic awards jointly with the College. In this respect it is important to ascertain the national legislation and national or regional frameworks of the Partner. The Partner must be willing to recognise and support the College’s obligations under UK law. 2.4 All collaborative provision activity entered into by the College must be financially
sustainable, having been fully costed in accordance with the relevant procedures to give an indication of the direct/indirect costs to the faculty1 and department.
2.5 All collaborative provision entered into by the College must enhance the reputation of the College as well as the faculty(s) sponsoring the collaboration.
2.6 Before approval is given by a Faculty Education Committee (or equivalent) to a programme involving an element of off-site delivery, an assessment must be made of the learning and staff resources available at the other site to ensure that the necessary oversight is sustained and that the quality and standards are equivalent to comparable awards delivered solely by the College. Where possible/practicable such assessment should include a visit to the site by the department/area proposing the programme. The Partner Resources Review form should be completed and submitted at the programme proposal stage in addition to other appropriate documentary evidence from the partner to confirm the following:
Learning opportunities: the quality of the learning opportunities offered through a collaborative provision arrangement must be of a sufficiently high quality and enable a student to achieve the academic standards required for the award. Students: where a collaborative provision activity involves students, the status
of the student and their formal relationship with the College should be clearly defined. Students should receive information about their status and its
implications in respect of their rights (e.g. access to learning support resources and to appeals and complaints procedures).
Staff: where appropriate, staff development should be provided by both/all partners to ensure that staff will have the necessary underpinning knowledge to
1 Use of the term ‘f(F)aculty’ throughout this document includes the Dental Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and the Dickson Poon School of Law for the purposes of academic governance and quality assurance.
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support the activity. Where staff of the College are required to visit an overseas institution or work overseas, attention will be given to their terms and conditions of employment.
2.7 Before approval is given consideration should be given to the methods of regular contact for monitoring academic standards, reviewing and sharing information given the geographical location of the partner.
2.8 Before approval is given consideration should be given to the cultural context of the partner to allow for student equality of opportunity and access to study, especially where language barriers or cultural factors may apply. An assessment should be made as to whether the other site has relevant equal opportunities policies in place, including policies relating to disability, has systems in place for supporting students with disabilities and has an identified contact to whom students with disabilities can be directed.
2.9 It is important to note that the College’s legal obligations relevant to equalities legislation also apply to students benefiting from collaborative teaching activity. Furthermore, in relation to students with a disability, the legislation stipulates that in cases where the College arranges for a third party to provide education, training or other related services for students on its behalf, then this provision remains the responsibility of the College.
2.10 All arrangements entered into must be compliant with King’s policies and
procedures and meet the requirements of the Academic regulations and the Core code of practice for postgraduate research degrees, ensuring consistency with the academic experience and pastoral care arrangements for students offered by the College. The default position will be that all College policies, regulations and procedures will apply for all operational aspects of a programme. Where it is proposed to vary these arrangements then explicit permission must be granted as part of the programme approval process.
3.
Framework for Collaborative Provision
3.1 All collaborative provision whereby an outside body/institution delivers parts of a King’s programme or award of credit is governed by the adoption of a three tier approach (1) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU); (2) Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) and (3) Schedule of Activity (SoA) set out in the College’s
Collaborative Provision Framework for laying out responsibility for academic standards, quality assurance and management of collaborative provision.
3.2 The Memorandum of Understanding is used to establish the basis for a partnership where it may be desirable for the partners to express mutual accord by setting out common aspirations or goals. The MoU may be entered into at the initial stage when exploring a partnership and before any activity is agreed between the parties. It is not intended to be legally binding and should therefore not commit the College to engaging in any activity with the Partner.
3.3 The Memorandum of Agreement is a legally binding document setting out the relationship and terms of reference agreed between the principal parties, defining the respective roles, responsibilities and obligations of the partners for the activity or activities engaged in.
3.4 The Schedule of Activity is part of the Memorandum of Agreement and details the operational aspects of the activity referred to in the main body of the MoA. It sets out the arrangements for delivering the activity between the partners, taking into account the student lifecycle and how expectations will be managed. The MoA and
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accompanying SoA must not be signed until a proposal is approved by the Programme Development and Approval Committee.
4.
Duration of the Agreement
4.1
Agreements must be time-limited according to the level of risk attached to the activity and reviewed for resigning at a maximum time interval of normally every five calendar years or duration of first programme cohort for the Memorandum ofAgreement. Subject to the terms of the related Memorandum of Agreement, the start date and duration of the Schedule should reflect the number of academic years, starting with the first cohort (month and year) in which cohorts of students can be accepted onto the programme with reference to the College policy on term dates, duration of programme and entry points i.e. where the principal agreement commences in June 2015 and expires in June 2020, the first cohort of students accepted onto the programme may be September 2015 with the last cohort of students accepted being during the 2019/20 academic year.
5.
Operation of Collaborative Provision
5.1 When an activity is in the process of being established and prior to commencement a full dialogue should take place to ensure that the contribution of each partner to the development and content of the activity and its operation are fully agreed and articulated in the Memorandum of Agreement and accompanying Schedule of Activity. It follows that the details will be proportionate to the nature of the activity and risks identified.
5.2 To support this process a representative from King’s and the partner(s) should be nominated to act as the contact point for the operational aspects of the shared activity set out in the relevant schedule, with one partner designated as the lead administrator to act as the main liaison between the partner(s). The role of the lead administrator is to oversee the implementation and ongoing delivery of the
collaboration ensuring that the quality and standards of any King’s awards are maintained and to ensure that any issues arising from the arrangement are reported to all parties concerned, including acting as Chair for an established programme management committee (or equivalent).
6.
Marketing and publicity
6.1 All activity entered into must be consistent with the policies and strategies
developed by King’s Marketing department. Consideration should be given to how the activity will be marketed and publicised by all parties, ensuring that information provided is accurate and does not damage the reputation of the College. Advice should be sought from the relevant faculty marketing team on how the activity will be publicised and monitored for accuracy.
7.
Recruitment and admissions
7.1 The delegation for responsibility of admissions normally rests with the lead (home) institution, although responsibility may be shared for joint and dual award activity. Admissions processes should take account of both partners’ criteria, regulations and policy requirements including PSRB, recognition of prior learning and minimum entry requirements. The minimum and maximum number of students that can be recruited for the activity engaged in must be clearly stated including the
arrangements for targeting and recruitment of students. Advice should be sought from the College’s Admissions Office on any special requirements or variations to the normal College admissions process.
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8.
Enrolment and registration
8.1 Consideration should be given to student enrolment and registration issues at the College and partner institution(s) taking into account, student status and mode of attendance, duration of a jointly delivered programme, entry points, and UKBA visa compliance requirements. All students undertaking a programme at King’s are invited to enrol online and would normally be expected to attend the College’s campus registration event in person. Registered students are issued with a Kings email address and password and where appropriate a College card to enable them to access College facilities. Advice should be sought from (i) the Assessment and Records Centre/ Academic Centre or equivalent and College Admissions team for any variations in practice relating to enrolment and registration processes; (ii) the Student Advice & International Student Support team and Visa Compliance team for visa and immigration issues and monitoring student attendance.
9.
Student records
9.1 Where collaborative provision activity involves students, their progression through the programme including changes in registration status and their formal relationship with the College should be clearly defined, particularly where procedures or data reporting differ amongst partners. Partnership arrangements should incorporate explicit requirements for the timely capture and communication of student activity from initial commencement to completion. Any collaboration across modules should be quantified to reflect the proportion of the module taught by each institution. Advice should be sought from the Planning and Student Analytics team to ensure that data will be reflected appropriately in College returns and takes into account any HESA and HEFCE requirements.
10.
Student support
10.1 Appropriate support mechanisms (academic, administrative and pastoral) must be in place and communicated to students to enable them to engage effectively with their studies and to whom they can address any concerns. Students enrolled on a programme delivered in collaboration with a partner should receive comparable support to those students studying on College-delivered programmes including access to support facilities including induction arrangements, integration into the programme, distribution of student handbooks and programme/course material, accommodation and funding issues.
11.
Teaching arrangements
11.1
The teaching contribution of each partner should be specified in the schedule, with the content and availability of modules agreed between the partners to ensure that the relevant learning aims and outcomes of the programme are met, including opportunities for transferable skills. Teaching arrangements should be fullyarticulated, including variations in practice, at the point where consideration is given to final programme approval or student exchange activities and included in the student handbook and course material.
12.
Assessment arrangements
12.1 Assessment processes and procedures of partner organisations should be consistent with the College’s Academic regulations, although each partner will be responsible for the assessment regulations pertaining to their own modules, including transfer of marks or credit. It is expected that the language of instruction and assessment will normally be in English at the partner institution, except for language degrees (where appropriate).
12.2 In the case of jointly delivered or jointly awarded programmes all parties will be consulted when determining the final results for a student. In the case of jointly or awarded taught programmes this will normally be achieved by representation on the
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relevant assessment board. Approval for variations to the normal taught
assessment procedures will need to be sought from the College Assessment and Standards Committee and for the research examination procedures from the College’s Research Degrees Examination Board.
12.3 In cases where staff from an ‘off-site’ provider are involved in the assessment of students, such staff may be eligible to be members of the relevant assessment sub board, subject to the prior approval of the Chair of the College Assessment and Standards Committee.
13.
External Examiner arrangements
13.1 The appointment, induction and role of external examiners should be consistent with the College’s practice and UK standards. In the case of jointly delivered programmes, the external examiner must have an understanding of the UK HE system. A mechanism should be in place for formal reporting and scrutiny of exam reports between the partners. Advice should be sought from (i) the Quality and Academic Support Office on external examiner arrangements for taught
programmes; (ii) the Examinations and Awards Office on external examiner arrangements for research degree programmes.
14.
Conferment of Award
14.1 The College’s classification scheme will apply for all programmes solely awarded by the College. Where a collaborative provision activity involves a joint award,
agreement should be sought between the partners on the regulations that apply for the conferment of the final award ensuring that the student is able to meet the minimum award requirements of the College and partner institution(s), including consideration of the College’s policy on exit awards.
15.
Records of Study, Certificates and Graduation
15.1 Agreement should be sought between the partners for the routine issuing of marks, including the content and distribution of records agreed results/transcripts/HEAR and the final degree certificate for awards once results have been ratified. The formal records of study (record of agreed results/transcripts/HEAR) provided to students should make it clear at which higher education provider the different parts of the programme were studied.
15.2 Certificates for Dual awards should clearly state that the certificate should be read in conjunction with the certificate awarded by the other Partner(s).
15.3 A single certificate should be issued for joint awards listing the names of all awarding bodies involved in granting the award and bearing the signatures of the competent authorities in each awarding body.
15.4 Students will automatically be invited to the graduation ceremony where King’s is solely or jointly responsible for awarding the degree.
16.
Student Conduct and Appeals arrangements
16.1 It is expected that for local issues relating to student conduct and appeals these will be governed by the regulations of the Party concerned, with ‘home’ institution regulations applying in respect of the overall programme. In the case of joint or dual awards the ‘home’ institution is expected to consult with the partner over any decision taken. Outcomes of any student conduct and appeals processes should be communicated to all parties concerned, especially where this impacts on the final award outcome for a student in line with the expectations of Regulation B6 Student Complaints Procedure. Advice should be sought from the Student Conduct and Appeals Office on any issues relating to student conduct and appeals.
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17.
Quality assurance and Management processes
17.1 The responsibility for the student learning experience and the academic standards for King’s awarded degrees rests with the College, and the College’s quality assurance procedures will apply with formal approval and review through the College’s programme and module approval and review processes (see Sections B, D, E and F).
17.2 All parties should identify and agree the relevant resources required to deliver the elements of the programme for which they are responsible. Arrangements for all students undertaking collaborative activity will be managed by the home
department, with students being offered the same opportunity to provide feedback on the element of their programme delivered off-site as for their locally taught modules.
18.
Monitoring arrangements
18.1 Faculty Education Committees (or equivalent) should monitor the operation of collaborative activity and report on such activity in their annual reports to the College Assessment and Standards Committee as part of the ‘Procedures for programme and module monitoring and review’.
18.2 For activity involving jointly delivered/awarded degree programmes or validated provision regularly meetings should take place in accordance with the additional monitoring requirements set out in stage five of the ‘Procedures for the approval and monitoring of collaborative provision’ to oversee the arrangements for the
ongoing monitoring of the programme with representation from the partner institution or off-site provider. In cases where logistics might make attendance at meetings difficult there should be formally recorded mechanisms for the exchange of information.
18.3 A periodic review of activity should be undertaken as set out in stage six of the ‘Procedures for the approval and monitoring of collaborative provision’ before the
agreement can be renewed or terminated.
19.
Financial arrangements
19.1 Fee income costs should be agreed between the partners, with tuition fee and HEFCE funding arrangements appropriately reflected. Contact details and annual review processes for overseeing the financial arrangements should be included, with a copy of the Business plan attached as a separate appendix to the
Memorandum of Agreement. Where an invoice is payable under an agreement, it is expected that all valid invoices will be settled within 30 days of submission.
20.
Termination of the Agreement
20.1 A formal mechanism should be put in place by the obligated parties on the
arrangements for continuing students where both parties have agreed to terminate the agreement and suspend or withdraw a programme of study.
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