Monitoring and Review
Monitoring and Review
Newcastle University has comprehensive and robust quality management mechanisms. We have an excellent record in external quality assessment.
All taught programmes must be reviewed annually (through the AMR process) and periodically re-approved (through the LTR process). Annual and periodic review of programmes are two parts of the same process of continuous improvement and enhancement of provision.
Stage evaluations take place at the end of every semester and include one module-specific question for each of the modules taken that semester. All students are to be presented with consolidated feedback on stage evaluation results at the start of each new semester.
Module leaders are also requested to conduct informal mid-module evaluations, with the outcomes of these shared with students as quickly as possible. Academic Units should report on their chosen methods for mid-module evaluation within the Annual Monitoring Review (AMR) process.
Annual Monitoring and Review (AMR) is a year-round process carried out by the Board of Studies according to an institutional schedule of business for all taught programmes.
Boards of Studies are required to review annually all taught programmes for which they are responsible according to an institutional schedule of business. This takes place in accordance with guidance issued by University Education Committee (UEC).
To support the AMR process key data sets are provided centrally in a PowerBI dashboard.
Annual Monitoring and Review reports are then considered by the appropriate Faculty Education Committee (FEC), which in turn presents a summary report to the Taught Programmes Sub-Committee acting on delegated authority from UEC.
- Policy and Procedure for Annual Monitoring and Review
- AMR Report Form (Undergraduate)
- AMR Report Form (Postgraduate Taught)
- Faculty Education Committee Report Form
Further guidance
- Worked example of AMR Report Form
- Guidance to using Power Bi reports – AMR
- Annual Monitoring and Review: Use of Data
As a Higher Education Provider operating in England, the University is subject to a range of national regulatory requirements. These include requirements that relate to the academic quality and standards of our educational provision. The following briefing notes provide a summary for members of the University of these requirements, and how the University ensures that it meets these requirements.
Learning and Teaching Review (LTR) for taught programmes is a comprehensive, in-depth periodic review. The process is led by internal and external peers and a student representative and is designed to provide evidence on the security of standards and the quality of the learning experience.
The Learning and Teaching Review (LTR) involves the detailed consideration of a range of Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Enhancement (QE) documentation as well as a review visit. The review team will include an external subject specialist in addition to University and Faculty academic colleagues and a student representative.
Following the review, a report is produced, which forms the basis for a decision by University Education Committee on whether the programmes should be re-approved for a further period.
Policy and procedure
Policy and Procedures for Learning and Teaching Review
External Participation Guidelines
Student Participation Guidelines
Template for the LTR QA Summary
Sample SWOT Analysis
Guidance for Professional Services
Stage evaluation surveys run in semester one and two for all stages of taught programmes (both undergraduate and postgraduate). The survyes are used to gather feedback on students' experiences of their programme and their University experience.
Academic units may request that module evaluation is carried out for the purposes of accreditation or where a module is running for the first time.
Academic Units must respond to feedback with plans identifying any agreed actions, timescales for implementation and who is responsible for each action. Action plans should be included in the minutes of Boards of Studies and Student-Staff Committees.
Further guidance on stage and module evaluations can be found on the Student Voice pages.
- Student Evaluation of Teaching Policy
- Procedures for Institutional surveys
- Stage and module evaluations
- Stage evaluation question sets
The University has links with a wide range of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) which provide valuable external review of the quality of our provision. Responsibility for detailed engagement with PSRBS resides with individual academic units.
A number of University programmes are accredited by Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) the following documents have been developed to outline University policy in relation to the links these reviews have with the University's internal quality assurance procedures.
- Policy for the Consideration of Accreditation Reports from Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies
- Position Statement on the Integration of Internal and External Quality Assurance Processes
The Educational Governance and Policy Service hold a Register of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies. For further information contact educational.governance.policy@ncl.ac.uk
The Quality Assurance and Enhancement Framework for Research Degree Programmes provides Schools and Institutes with an opportunity to reflect on their current practice in relation to the provision of research degrees, the research learning opportunities and research learning experiences necessary to enable students to achieve: Quality Assurance and Enhancement Framework for Research Degree Programmes.
Information about, and the framework for the quality assurance and enhancement framework for research degree programmes can be found on the internal Student Progress webpages.
The Student Progress Service has very extensive support on their Postgraduate Research Student Administration page covering, amongst other areas: