Changes to a unit’s learning outcomes, assessment, and/or methods of delivery require formal approval. The School Teaching and Learning Committee (or equivalent) and the Faculty Teaching and Learning Committee (or equivalent) will receive the revised unit specification and academic case for consideration. The revised unit specification outlines how the unit is being changed and the academic case will set out the academic rationale for the proposed changes and any resource implications. Once Faculty approval has been confirmed, the revised units can be published in the unit catalogue and student handbooks can be updated.
If you are revising the learning outcomes and/or assessment, you must make sure the unit specification clearly links each assessment to the learning outcome that is being assessed. If any one element of assessment is must pass, or pass/fail, the unit specification must make this clear. When revising the content of your unit you may wish to also consider the following:
Unit changes must be made using the Unit and Programme Management System, and the school Student Administration Manager will support academic staff in doing this.
Deadlines for unit changes
Unit changes for the next academic year should be finalised and approved by the faculty before returning students start to make their unit choices. For mandatory units in the first year of undergraduate programmes, changes should be approved prior to the UCAS cycle opening. For mandatory units on taught postgraduate programmes these must be approved before the start of the PG recruitment cycle. Consideration must be given to CMA implications for changes to mandatory units that occur later than this. Late changes may need to be communicated to students and applicants/offer holders.
Changes that do not require approval
Annual unit updates can be made to keep the following unit information up to date without requiring formal committee approval: Teaching Block, Unit Director, Pre/Co requisites, Description, Reading list. See the Annual Unit Updates guidance for further information.
