1. On behalf of Academic Board, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee is responsible for School policy and procedure about all aspects of the student experience.
Teaching, learning and assessment
2. To develop policies and strategies for all aspects of teaching and learning innovation, delivery and assessment in the School.
3. To review and endorse School regulations for degree programmes, appeals and assessment offences.
4. On behalf of Academic Board, to be responsible for School strategy, policy and procedure for all matters relating to the examination and assessment of students, including: developing and implementing classification schemes; ensuring comparability of academic standards across the School; considering issues arising from the reports of external examiners; and annually assessing the first and taught postgraduate examination results, and PhD submission and completion rates.
5. To oversee the work of the School Board of Examiners, the Graduate School Board of Examiners and the LLB Board of Examiners through the receipt of: reports on any matters arising from their monitoring of the examination and assessment processes which they deem to have wider implications for School policy or practice; and annual reports on their work during the preceding 12 months.
Curriculum
6. To define, monitor and review School strategy, policy and procedure for the approval and review of programmes of study and their constituent courses.
7. To oversee the work of USSC, GSSC and RDSC by receiving from those sub-committees reports on any matters arising from their scrutiny of new programme and course proposals which they deem might have wider implications for School policy or procedure; and an annual report on their work during the preceding 12 months.
Quality assurance and enhancement
8. On behalf of Academic Board, to define monitor and review School strategy, policies and procedures for maintaining academic standards, and assuring and enhancing the quality of its educational provision.
9. To be responsible for the procedure for internal departmental reviews. Members will be required to serve on ASC review panels, though normally no member will serve on more than one review per academic year. The committee will also provide members to the APRC departmental review process.
10. To be responsible for the School’s processes for annual programme monitoring by: receiving an annual summary report of Departmental programme monitoring outcomes; by considering and acting on any quality management or enhancement matters arising from the annual summary report.
11. To oversee the School’s relationship with relevant external bodies. This will include responsibility for any School-wide academic review by external bodies. It will also include co-ordinating the development of School policy and procedure in compliance with the QAA’s Quality Code and other relevant external requirements; and monitoring the implementation of those policies and procedures.
12. To promote quality enhancement initiatives at institutional and Departmental levels.
13. To use the results of student surveys for quality enhancement.
14. To oversee the academic quality and standards of the School’s ancillary programmes; and to receive annual reports on their work during the preceding 12 months.
Student experience
15. To develop, review and monitor Departmental implementation of the School’s academic advising system.
16. To develop and monitor student learning communities, in terms of pastoral support and advice for students on the basis of reports from the Senior Advisor to Students, the Dean of the General Course, Wardens, the Advisor to Female Students, and other School providers concerned with student health, well-being and discipline.
17. To provide a forum for the consideration of matters relating to students’ personal security.
18. To monitor departmental Staff-Student Liaison Committees and the Student Consultative Fora, on the basis of annual reports from the Senior Advisor to Students; and considering School wide issues arising from them that cannot be more appropriately considered by another School body.
19. To receive annual reports from residence Wardens and to advise the Director of Residential Services on ‘residential life’ aspects of the residential estate.
Mode of operation
1. To oversee within their given Terms of Reference, the activities of the following subordinate bodies reporting to the committee, and to advise them as necessary, currently:
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Undergraduate Studies Subcommittee
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Graduate Studies Subcommittee
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Research Degrees Subcommittee*
*Members of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee are eligible to serve on Appeals Panels against decisions on continued registration and upgrading to PhD.
2. To receive, as necessary, reports form the School’s consultative fora, other than the Student Consultative Fora, from which Academic and Student Affairs Committee will receive annual reports made by the Senior Advisor to Students.
3. To meet at least once in each term, the exact frequencies of meetings depending on the volume and nature of business.
4. To report to the Academic Board, submit an annual report to the Board that includes summary details of all new programmes and courses of study the sub-committees approved during the preceding 12 months, act on its behalf on most matters within the Committee’s Terms of Reference and make recommendations to the Board on major issues of general policy affecting the academic life of the School.
5. To invite any person to attend its meetings to assist in the conduct of its business, including officers of the Students’ Union for appropriate items.
6. To liaise as appropriate with Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Taskforce on equality and diversity issues, by means of the exchange of reports and the referral of specific issues for consideration.