This page outlines the processes, roles and responsibilies around the university's monitoring of the academic quality and standards of taught and research courses.
2.0 Key principles
2.1 Overview
Annual Course Review (ACR) is designed to support courses in a data informed review process to provide timely and efficient feedback to facilitate improvements and assure academic standards.
The ACR process ensures the university aligns with regulatory requirements and sector best practice.
As part of a wider programme of review, which includes Periodic Course Reviews, this process is designed to assure the quality and standards of all taught and research courses at the university and ensure they are performing within defined criteria, supporting schools with their responsibilities for the continual monitoring of the health of their courses.
This process covers all undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research courses.
The international campuses are incorporated into the ACR process for undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses via the review of External Examiner Annual Reports.
Degree Apprenticeships courses have a separate monitoring process, see 'Related regulations, policies and procedures' for further details.
Annual Course Review measures performance of a course against a published set metrics and thresholds, including:
- Student population
- Student outcomes (e.g. graduate outcomes, PGR submission and completion rates)
- Degree outcomes
- Access and Participation Plan awarding gaps
- Supervision and annual review arrangements (Postgraduate Research)
- Student Voice (e.g. National Student Survey (NSS), ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Learning Experience Survey (NLES), ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Student Experience Survey (NSES), Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES))
- External examiners annual report
- Internal quality and standards processes (e.g. outside regulation requests)
The metrics will differ between undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research courses.
Other measurable data may be included as required, based on strategic priorities of the university. Metrics and thresholds will be confirmed in each cycle of the process.
2.4.1 Academic Quality Assurance Team
The Academic Quality Assurance Team will
- Co-ordinate the collection and presentation of a summary of the metrics and outcomes against published thresholds for each course
- Facilitate an ACR Panel to review course outcomes and award overall ratings on behalf of Quality and Standards Committee
- Facilitate the presentation of the summary of the metrics and outcomes to schools
- Co-ordinate the receipt and approval of school responses, where required
- Provide a written summary report to Quality and Standards Committee and relevant university committees
2.4.2 Schools
Schools are required to engage with the summary of metrics and outcomes presented to them. The level of engagement varies according to the overall rating awarded.
All schools are required to review and reflect on their data and take appropriate action to improve and/or sustain and enhance their metrics and student experience. All schools are also required to engage with and respond to their External Examiner Annual Reports for taught courses.
Where identified, some schools will be required to develop and implement a Course Improvement Plan (CIP), providing information and creating a defined plan on how the identified areas will be addressed.
Further details on the ACR process are available in the 'Related regulations, policies and procedures' section below.
3.0 Related regulations, policies and procedures
4.0 Version control table
Version control table
| Version Number | Purpose/Change | Approving Committee | Date |
|---|
| 1.0 |
Reformatted to align with new ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Policy Management Framework based on content last modified on 14/06/2023 |
QSC |
April 2025 |
| 2.0 |
Updated to reflect implementation of the new monitoring process for undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, launched August 2025 |
QSC |
August 2025 |
| 2.1 |
Updated to incorporate the introduction of PGR level review. In addition, to reflect updated terminology, 'programme' has been amended to 'course'. |
QSC |
July 2026 |