Programme Monitoring

Programme monitoring is an important component of the University's quality enhancement and monitoring activities. All taught programmes at Glasgow Caledonian University are required to undertake annual programme monitoring.

The process is described in detail in Section 5 of the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Handbook.

As part of the monitoring process Programme Boards must consider a range of key performance indicators, including:

• trends in admission statistics
• trends in progression and awards statistics, including honours classification
• trends in graduate employment, including the most recently available graduate employment statistics
• the minutes of the Student Staff Consultative Group (see Section 8 of QAEH)
• the External Assessor report(s) and the Programme Board’s response to the Assessor(s)
• an analysis of evidence of interaction with the Academic Units contributing modules to the programme
• equality and diversity
• a review of the LTAS of the programme (see guidelines below)
• where there is a collaborative arrangement with a partner organisation an overview of data and/or comments relating to the involvement of the partner organisation
• reference to the requirements or recommendations of approval/re-approval events or visits from professional/statutory bodies
• evaluation of the previous year’s improvement plan

Note: the statistical information for the first two items listed above will be provided by the Policy and Planning Unit

The outcome of the monitoring process, which must be approved by the School Board, will be:

• the production/updating of an improvement plan for the programme which sets out how the Programme Board will improve both the quality and standards of the programme. This plan will be based on improvement of the key performance indicators and will include ‘SMART’ targets
• the review of the Programme Specification and updating where required

Where the monitoring process identifies problems within a programme, including where:

• students have shown dissatisfaction with a programme
• progression rates after the second diet are lower than agreed School benchmarks
• an External Assessor has expressed concern in relation to the quality and/or standards of a programme

the improvement plan must address these problems directly.

The monitoring process should be complete by the end of February in each year.

University consideration of the Programme Monitoring Process

Since 2002 the QAEH has required the submission of a Biennial Report on the programme monitoring process with an overview report provided by the Quality Office to LTSC for consideration.  In any one year only half of the Schools were required to submit reports (in March). 

Under the new process agreed in November 2009 all Schools are now required to submit an Annual Report on Monitoring, Quality Assurance and Enhancement of Programmes which will also include commentary on progression and retention (previously this was reported separately).  The report inter alia comments on the success of the programme monitoring process, identifies areas of weakness and strength, external assessors’ reports and progression within the School.

The content of the report will be as follows:

• a brief overview of the health of the School portfolio of programmes
• progression and retention
• the success of the programme improvement plans
• External Assessors’ reports
• learner support and guidance
• the success in implementing the objectives of the LTAS
• summary of School enhancement planning
• areas for University consideration

The output of the process will include consideration of all Annual School Reports by the University's Learning and Teaching Sub-Committee.

Last updated: 19-Feb-2010

Programme and Module Monitoring Pro-forma

The following documents are available to download:

Annual Programme Analysis

Module Monitoring Report

Annual Report on Monitoring, Quality Assurance and Enhancement of Programmes