1 The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is a UK organisation which aims to promote public confidence that the quality of provision and standards of awards in higher education are being safeguarded and enhanced. It provides public information about quality and standards in higher education to meet the needs of students, employers and the funders of higher education. One of QAA's activities is to carry out quality audits of collaborative links between UK higher education institutions and some of their partner organisations in other countries. In the spring of 2001, QAA audited selected partnership links between UK higher education institutions and institutions in China. The purpose of the audits was to provide information on the way in which the UK institutions are maintaining academic standards and quality of education in their partnerships with institutions in China.
The process of audit of overseas partnership links
2 In planning these audits of overseas collaborative provision, QAA invited all UK institutions to provide a list of their collaborative links with partners in China. Each of the UK institutions whose collaborative link had been selected for the audit provided for QAA a Commentary describing the way the partnership operated, and commenting on the effectiveness of the means by which the UK institution assured quality and standards in the link. In addition, each institution was asked, as part of its Commentary, to make reference to the extent to which the link was representative of its procedures and practice in all its overseas collaborative activity or specific to this link, subject or country. QAA identified two UK institutions which had established arrangements where most or all of the educational provision was delivered through a partner in China, and these institutions were visited by small teams of auditors to discuss the arrangements with appropriate staff and to look at relevant documentation.
3 Audit teams visited the partner in China to gain further insight into the experience of students and staff, and to supplement the view formed by the team from the institution's Commentary and from the UK visit. During each of the visits in China, further documentation about the link was made available to the team, and discussions were conducted with key members of staff, lecturers and students. In addition, members of the team were able to see facilities and resources available to the students. QAA is grateful to the UK institutions and their partners in China for the willing cooperation provided to the team.
4 Institutions were invited, in their Commentaries, to make reference to the way in which their arrangements met the precepts of QAA's Code of practice on the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education, Section 2: Collaborative provision (1999) (QAA's Code). QAA's Code contains precepts and guidance about the assurance of quality and standards in all collaborative provision, and it is expected that institutions would be adhering to the precepts of the Code. In the context of these audits, the Code was used as a reference point by the audit team, and its contents are reflected in the observations in this report.
The context of collaborative provision with partners in China
5 The result of a scoping exercise on UK collaborative activity with China was published by QAA in the report UK collaborative links with China: Report of a scoping exercise, 1999-2000. This report aimed to provide for UK higher education institutions an outline of the context of higher education in China, and of particular opportunities and challenges presented by collaborative arrangements for taught programmes with Chinese institutions. As part of its visit to China in 2001, the audit team met representatives of the Education Department of Guangdong Province, and was not made aware of any changes to the context given in the scoping report.
The collaborative link between the University of Central Lancashire and Shenzhen
University
6 The collaborative provision considered in this report relates to the franchise to Shenzhen University of the first two years of programmes of the University of Central Lancashire that lead to the University's awards of BSc (Hons) Electronics and BSc (Hons) Design and Manufacture. The collaboration takes the form of a 2 + 1 articulation arrangement whereby students study at Shenzhen University for the first two years and transfer to the University of Central Lancashire for their final year of study. Shenzhen University was founded in 1983, and occupies an impressive campus in Nantou, Shenzhen. It has 14 academic faculties. Its School of Information Engineering offers the programme leading to the degree in electronics. Its School of Engineering and Technology offers the programme leading to the degree in design and manufacture. The language of instruction and assessment is English.
7 The UK audit team, comprising Mrs N J Channon, Dr P D Hartley and Dr G A Stoy, visited the University of Central Lancashire on 29-30 January 2001. The team held three formal meetings during the visit: with University staff centrally responsible for the link, with students who had completed the first two years of the BSc Electronics and BSc Design and Manufacture courses at Shenzhen, and with faculty and subject staff responsible for the link. The team had available to it the report of the quality audit of the University of Central Lancashire published in June 2000.
8 An audit team comprising Dr D J Buckingham, Mrs N J Channon, Dr P D Hartley and Dr S Jackson visited Shenzhen University on 28 March 2001. The team toured the resources available to students, and had a series of meetings with academic staff, senior management, students and staff of the University of Central Lancashire's China Office.
Background
9 The University has had a link with China and Hong Kong since the late 1980s. The initial contacts with Shenzhen University came about as a result of a request by Lancashire Enterprises, Lancashire County Council and the Shenzhen local government to develop educational links in Shenzhen. There were already existing links between some staff of the University and of Shenzhen University. The University's Commentary explained that this informal collaboration 'provided both parties with opportunities to build a relationship based on a clear understanding of what might be achieved in partnership'. An agreement was entered into in May 1987, and the initial collaboration between the Universities was through research activity and staff and student exchange. The agreements to franchise the two undergraduate courses were signed in November 1991 (Electronics), which was updated in November 2000, and January 1998 (Design and Manufacture).
10 The first stage of a proposal to franchise a course overseas is the granting of permission by the Academic Board of the University to proceed to a validation. The BSc (Hons) Electronics franchise was approved in 1992, when it was the first proposal of this kind for the University, and before any of the guidance contained in HEQC's Code of Practice for Overseas Collaboration had been published. Since then, the University produced, in 1997, its own guidelines for the approval of overseas collaborative arrangements. These were updated in 1999 as part of a review of the University's international policies, procedures and practices. The Commentary reported that 'a new draft International Strategy was produced in May 2000 and, at the same time, a review of the current guidelines on overseas collaboration...was initiated'. At the time of the audit visit these were in final draft stage.
11 The franchise of levels 1 and 2 of the BSc (Hons) Electronics programme was validated in May 1992, and the first intake of students was in September 1993. The franchise of levels 1 and 2 of the BSc (Hons) Design and Manufacture programme was validated in March 1998, and received its first intake of students in September 1998. The audit team had access to documentation relating to the validation procedures, and formed the view that the validation and approval procedures were clear, and were properly implemented for both franchises.
Formal arrangements
12 The franchise relates to the first two years (levels 1 and 2) of the University's BSc (Honours) Design and Manufacture and BSc (Honours) Electronics programmes. The University's Commentary included a copy of the Agreement of May 1998 relating to the Design and Manufacture franchise and a copy of the Agreement of November 2000 relating to the Electronics franchise. The latter Agreement was an updating of the original Agreement, following the successful revalidation of the Electronics franchise in October 1999. The November 2000 document took the form of an Institutional Agreement of Collaboration between the two Universities, and a Memorandum of Cooperation for 'the delivery of University of Central Lancashire's BSc (Hons) Electronics (Years 1 and 2) at Shenzhen University'. The Agreement and Memorandum met the expectations of QAA's Code of practice on collaborative provision.
13 The University of Central Lancashire controls the issue of award certificates and transcripts. The audit team saw examples of these, and noted that the transcript recorded the location of delivery of years 1 and 2 as being 'Campus: Shenzhen'. The wording of the transcript broadly meets the expectations of QAA's Code of practice although the existence of the transcript is not referred to on the certificate.
14 The Memorandum of Agreement of November 2000 and the Agreement of 1998 both state that 'there shall be joint responsibility for approval of publicity material'. The Commentary stated that, in 1999, the University established an Advancement Service, and that 'the Director of Advancement has responsibility for protecting the University's corporate identity and logo and as such scrutinises publicity materials used overseas'. In the case of materials produced in Chinese, these are checked for accuracy by University staff whose first language is Chinese. The audit team confirmed these arrangements in discussion with staff at both Universities, and formed the view that the University of Central Lancashire had good control of the publicity materials relating to the franchised programmes.
15 The Commentary stated that 'the framework for the establishment, validation and management of the link is representative of the University's practice and procedures for its overseas activities', although there may be variation in operational arrangements. In this link with Shenzhen University, a special feature is the establishment of the University of Central Lancashire China Office with a permanent staffing base.
16 Throughout the University's Commentary reference was made to the way in which this collaborative link was adhering to the precepts of QAA's Code of practice on collaborative provision. The audit team formed the view that the University had taken care to ensure that the procedures and processes for managing its overseas collaborative arrangements, as represented by this link with Shenzhen University, met the expectations of the Code.
Responsibility for quality and standards
17 The Commentary stated that the University retained overall responsibility for standards, but that responsibility for quality management was a shared one. It went on to explain that the 'respective obligations are set down in a Staff Handbook to ensure that all parties work to the same criteria and achieve a shared understanding of the requirements'. Shenzhen University is responsible for the facilities, welfare and academic counselling of students while they are studying there. Shenzhen University has its own quality assurance processes, including 'well-developed systems for the peer review of teaching and the management of assessment', and the University of Central Lancashire works with these at course and module level.
Quality of learning opportunities and student support
Liaison and administration
18 The 1998 Agreement and the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding specify that 'the University of Central Lancashire shall appoint a Course Leader who shall be responsible for the overall management and continued development of the course in both institutions'. The statement continues, 'Shenzhen University shall appoint a Course Coordinator who shall be responsible for the management of the course as it operates at Shenzhen University'. The two course leaders are the people who visit Shenzhen most frequently and act as the primary conduit between staff in the UK and China. The course leaders are also responsible for writing the annual report along with the two course coordinators. The enthusiasm and commitment of the course leaders for the programme was clear to the audit team. The University relies heavily on the continued commitment of these key staff for the success of the link.
19 The Faculty of Design and Technology has recognised the need to provide administrative support for a link of this type, and has an established Faculty International Coordinator supported, since April 2000, by a Senior Administrative Assistant to provide a single contact point for the administrative aspects of the link. Staff of the China Office of the University of Central Lancashire are able to provide pastoral and general administrative support to the students.
20 The audit team met members of the University's China Office. The Office is based at the Shenzhen campus, but is not dedicated exclusively to the Shenzhen link. It is responsible for recruitment of students and provision of administrative support to the University's various links in China. In relation to the Shenzhen link, the Office provides general advice to students about social and academic aspects of study at the University of Central Lancashire, and also facilitates the acquisition of visas for students about to transfer to the final year of the programme. Staff of the China Office informed the team that they were involved in delivery of general conversation classes to the Chinese students, in order to attempt to overcome any shortcomings with English language proficiency.
Monitoring
21 The Memorandum of Cooperation of November 2000 states that 'the continuing adequacy of the resource base, including staff levels, expertise and staff development, shall be a major consideration in the monitoring and evaluation of the course'.
22 Visits made by the University teaching staff to Shenzhen University contribute to regular monitoring and evaluation. The audit team was informed that all visits by teaching staff resulted in a report to the UK Course Leader, and that any issues arising during the visits that were within the competence of University teaching staff to resolve could be dealt with directly and quickly. The team observed that there was a significant amount of activity at this level, although these visits by teaching staff had an understandable lack of focus on problems relating to the administration of the link.
23 A normal dimension of the monitoring of provision is student feedback and student evaluation of modules. The Commentary recognised that, because of cultural differences, methods normally used in the UK for obtaining student feedback on courses 'such as Course committees and Module Evaluation Questionnaires may not be as appropriate in China', and that 'culturally, students would rarely criticise individual members of staff'. Faculty and departmental staff visiting Shenzhen University endeavour to elicit feedback. Students at Shenzhen informed the audit team that they had various feedback opportunities, either directly to the member of staff concerned or via the 'class monitor'. The latter is elected by the student cohort, and acts as a facilitator for discussion between tutors and students thus decoupling issues and their resolution from individuals. Students also have the possibility of submitting written comments to the teaching staff, but this does not appear to be either regular or formalised.
24 A joint annual review report is produced by the UK Course Leader and the Chinese Course Coordinator, separate from the annual report produced for the University's own courses in order to ensure that 'the overseas link has a particular focus'. The audit team noted that these annual review reports contained a significant amount of detailed and relevant information, and formed the view that the reports had the potential to provide useful input to the monitoring process. The reports are considered initially at departmental level and, the team was told, were sent to the Faculty Board along with the Head of Department's report. In discussion with members of staff, the team was informed that the process for consideration required that detailed discussion of the reports took place at the departmental level. However, the minutes of the Department's meetings did not indicate that any formal discussion took place.
25 The Commentary reflected on the evidence available from the annual review reports over the past three years, and noted the improvements that have been introduced in response to this annual monitoring. It drew attention to the improvement that has been made to the initially high rate of withdrawals and failures, and to the fact that the increase in applications has allowed an increase in both the number and quality of students entering the programme. The audit team considered that the annual monitoring and evaluation of the franchised courses at departmental level was effective. Above faculty level, the team noted that a significant amount of detail was compressed into the brief overviews and action plans that went forward to the relevant institutional-level committees. From its study of the available documentation, and from discussion with staff at the University, the team considered that the compression of the annual monitoring information limited the information available for effective institutional-level oversight of these franchised courses between interim or periodic reviews (see below, paragraph 26).
26 The Commentary stated that it was 'University policy that all courses at an overseas partner institution are subject to an interim review', which is not always required for on-campus courses. The interim review for the Electronics franchise took place in 1994, and for the Design and Manufacture franchise in 1999. In addition, courses are subject to periodic evaluation on a cycle of some five to seven years. These are conducted at institutional level by a University Review Panel of the University's Academic Standards Committee. The Panel's evaluation is based on evidence available for the review cycle and if, according to the Commentary, the Panel is 'satisfied of the quality of the learning opportunities and standards set and achieved by the students' the courses are revalidated for a further period of, usually, five years. The revalidation of the Electronics franchise was the outcome of a periodic evaluation carried out in September 1999. The audit team formed the view that the process of periodic review provided an effective institutional-level stock-taking and evaluation of the annual monitoring process.
Curriculum
27 The curriculum followed by the students in the franchise to Shenzhen University is essentially the same as that for students at the University of Central Lancashire insofar as the modules are the same level 1 and level 2 modules although optional modules are not available to students at Shenzhen. The Commentary noted that there were some differences in the mathematics syllabus to take account of the Chinese students' 'higher level of theoretical mathematics than their English counterparts'. On the other hand, it was recognised that Chinese students 'may be deficient in practical skills', and an Engineering Practice module was developed and introduced into the level 1 course at Shenzhen to address this potential deficiency. The audit team was interested to note the explanation in the Commentary that this module 'has been so successful in its use in China that it has been adopted in Preston...as a compulsory Year 1 module to improve (students') practical skills'. The team considered that this was an example of good practice in a collaborative partnership.
28 The University of Central Lancashire currently offers three awards relevant to the partnership link with Shenzhen University; the two which are the subject of this audit, and the award of BSc (Hons) Computer Aided Engineering. The University is looking to validate a franchise of the first two years of the programme leading to BSc (Hons) Computer Aided Engineering to Shenzhen University with effect from September 2001. The route to the Design and Manufacture award will then no longer operate at Shenzhen University, and the programme of study will lead instead to the Computer Aided Engineering award.
29 The audit team was told that a minor modification agreed in 1999 in respect of the Design and Manufacture modules will allow students who entered the Design and Manufacture programme in 2000 to articulate to the final year of the Computer Aided Engineering programme at the University of Central Lancashire. The modification agreed in 1999 related to one level 1 module and two level 2 modules. From its discussions with the staff at Shenzhen University, and examination of the documentation relating to the programme, the team questioned the University's interpretation of this as a minor modification. The University of Central Lancashire subsequently advised QAA that 'only one level 1 module was effectively changed prior to a full-revalidation of the programme which has now taken place'. Nevertheless, the team considered that modifications to the programme of study sufficient to lead to an award title different from that of the approved programme should not have been implemented before the scheduled revalidation.
30 Modules of the franchised courses are taught mainly by academic staff of Shenzhen University. A Staff Handbook is provided to give guidance on expectations for the delivery of the modules, and staff at Shenzhen confirmed to the audit team that they found the Staff Handbook useful in preparing for module delivery and assessment. There is occasional input from teaching staff of the University of Central Lancashire during their visits. Visiting staff conduct classes with students, or may on occasion teach jointly with Shenzhen University staff.
Language of instruction
31 Teaching is delivered in Chinese or English, and students and staff who met the audit team in Shenzhen agreed that, at least in Year 1 of the programme, around half of the delivery is in Chinese. Handout material and overhead slides are in English, and all assessment is conducted in English. The matter of language training for students is addressed in the Commentary. It explained that 'Chinese students on both courses are "directed" to electives in "English" and "Communication Skills" to ensure that their written and oral language skills continue to be developed'. Students who had transferred from Shenzhen to Preston reported to the team that they had difficulties with the specialist language of their technical studies. The team was not convinced that directing students toward electives was an adequate solution.
32 Students who met the audit team at Shenzhen University expressed a desire for more subject-specific English support within the programme, in order to cope with the demands of the programme, and to prepare them for the final year of study in the UK. The team learnt that the students had formally complained about the quality of English teaching of two members of staff, who have since been removed from the programme. Students confirmed that they were entirely satisfied with their current tutor, but the issue remained one of overall exposure to English, particularly the specialist English of the subject, rather than the language competence of their teachers.
33 Staff of the University's China Office provide classes in conversational English to support the English language modules of the programmes. While this is a commendable initiative, appreciated by the students, the audit team considered that the students needed consistent exposure to the specialist English of the subject of study, which the provision of small group general conversation classes was unlikely to address effectively. The Commentary explained that the outcome of the periodic evaluation of the Electronics franchise in September 1999 included a recommendation to review the English language modules, and noted that 'two EFL staff will be seconded to Shenzhen University for two months during semester 1 of 2000-01'. The University subsequently reported to QAA that an International Development Fund (see below, paragraph 37) had been established to finance a 'member of staff from the University's Department of Languages and International Studies to be based at Shenzhen University with effect from September 2001 for a substantial period of time in each semester'. The team would encourage the University to take the opportunity to ensure that the responsibility of this member of staff for 'coordinating the delivery of English language modules' extends to subject-specific aspects of English language support.
Learning resources
34 The availability of learning resources at Shenzhen University to support the franchised courses had been evaluated by the University when the two courses were validated. The audit team saw the reports of these validation events, and noted that the validation panels had been satisfied with most of the local resources in Shenzhen. The only reservation of any significance related to the difficulty of finding English-language text books in China. The difficulty of gaining access to printed material in English was pointed out by staff and students in meetings with the team at Shenzhen. The solution to this problem has been approached by the purchase of multiple copies of the required texts in the UK and shipping these out to Shenzhen for the start of the academic year. Staff of the UK programme have also tried to alleviate the problem by providing supporting English documentation, sometimes in the form of specialist or general interest magazines. The Commentary reported that these measures had 'enabled the creation of a small yet adequate library of additional English texts', and that 'each student is loaned copies of required texts for the duration of their course'. The audit team considered this to be a satisfactory and practical way of addressing the problem.
35 The audit team toured the teaching and support facilities at Shenzhen University. It was evident that the physical resources were appropriate for the provision. In addition to the small specialist library for the franchised courses, which the team saw during the visit, students have access to the Shenzhen University library, and also to the University's computing facilities.
Staffing and staff development
36 Staff who teach on the programmes in the UK make visits to Shenzhen to deliver occasional classes to students on the franchised modules, and to provide staff development sessions for Shenzhen University staff. The audit team discussed the nature and impact of the staff visits to Shenzhen with staff and students at Shenzhen University. The visiting staff conduct classes with students, and might on occasion teach jointly with Shenzhen staff, the precise nature of the teaching activity being at the discretion of the visiting member of staff. The team was told that teaching observations were sometimes carried out by staff visiting from the UK. The visits by UK staff to Shenzhen provide opportunities for monitoring the health of the franchised courses. They are clearly of benefit both to UK- and Shenzhen-based staff, and the team teaching events might be noted as particular good practice. The team did not, however, gain a view from its discussions in Shenzhen of a centrally established strategic approach to the visits. The University of Central Lancashire provided evidence to support its view of its strategic approach to staff visits based upon 'key academic events in the year': induction; student support; recruitment; and assessment. The team welcomed this clarification of the University's view of the purposes of staff visits, and would encourage the University to ensure that this view is clear to Shenzhen University staff.
37 There are opportunities for staff who teach on the franchised courses at Shenzhen University to travel to the University of Central Lancashire to participate in teaching activities on the UK courses in order to gain more experience of Western approaches to teaching and learning for their personal and professional development, and to continue their liaison in matters of teaching and research with UK-based staff. The University subsequently advised QAA that 'a fully-funded staff development scheme has been in place since 1993', and that the new fund, which would become operational in August 2001, 'would continue to support Shenzhen staff development visits to UCLAN and would resource ongoing, dedicated ESP provision in Shenzhen'.
38 The Commentary emphasised that staff who taught on the programmes in the UK had worked with staff of Shenzhen University to ensure that the aims and learning outcomes of the individual modules and the overall programmes had been fully understood. Staff who met the audit team in the UK confirmed that there had been considerable activity in staff exchange and development. One of the members of staff of Shenzhen University reported to the team that he had made a two-week teaching visit to the University of Central Lancashire as part of a formal staff development programme to enhance the link. He expressed the view that he had found this a valuable experience in informing his own approach to teaching on the programme in Shenzhen. The team saw evidence that there had been a considerable amount of activity at this level between the teaching staff of the two Universities, noting that a total of nine Shenzhen University staff visits to the University of Central Lancashire had been made in the 12 month period from February 2000. The team took the view that this level of staff exchange and liaison made a significant contribution to the University's level of confidence in the comparability between the learning opportunities offered to students in Shenzhen and the UK.
Information for students
39 The audit team saw handbooks for the two franchised courses when it visited the University of Central Lancashire. It considered the handbooks to be full and informative, and written in a welcoming and readable style. However, the handbooks made no mention of the mechanisms for appeals. The Commentary stated that the induction process, which is conducted jointly by UK- and Shenzhen-based staff, explained that the franchised course is governed by the University's Academic Regulations, and students are provided with a copy of the Academic Regulations at that time. The team confirmed in discussion with students at Shenzhen that they were aware of the regulatory framework of the course, and they knew how to raise issues informally or formally with the teaching staff.
40 Students at Shenzhen discussed with the audit team the feedback to them of information about their academic performance. They reported that coursework was returned to them quickly, often less than 10 days after submission. Sometimes the feedback is written, sometimes oral, and sometimes a combination of the two. There did not appear to be a consistently applied policy, and it was evident that the nature and extent of the feedback depended on the individual member of staff. While the team had no reason to suppose that inconsistency in the format of feedback was causing problems to the students, it felt that it might cause opportunities to be missed for providing a systematic evaluative feedback to the students in these first two years of their programme of study. The team would wish to draw this to the attention of the University.
Articulation to the final year of study
41 The Commentary gave details of the considerable support that is given to students on the franchised courses to prepare Shenzhen students for their transfer to Preston. This support begins early in the courses at Shenzhen, with information and advice being provided both by visiting academic staff from the UK and by staff of the University's China Office. The administrative support available to Shenzhen students extends to help with passport and visa applications and making flight arrangements. The Commentary explained that, on arrival in Preston, the students take part in a summer school which is intended to help them make the transition to living and studying in the UK, and continue their English language development. The incoming group from Shenzhen is accommodated in University Halls of Residence for the duration of the summer school. Students who met the audit team in the UK expressed the view that they had received good support for making the transition to living in the UK and had appreciated the summer school, particularly from the point of view of acclimatising them to the social and cultural differences between China and the UK.
Assurance of the standards of awards
42 The Commentary stated that the process of course validation 'is one of the key mechanisms by which academic standards are established'. Validation events are conducted by a University Review Panel, comprising staff drawn from other faculties and involving independent subject specialist external advisers, and the audit team considered that the validation events relating to this franchise to Shenzhen University had been conducted in a comprehensive and thorough manner.
43 The final year of the 2 + 1 articulation does, of course, guarantee that the learning opportunities and standards of assessment are those of the UK programme. Equivalence of standards in the franchised courses at levels 1 and 2 is discussed in the Commentary, and the University argued that their standards are maintained and assured on the fact that the modules delivered in Shenzhen are the same modules with the same learning outcomes as in the UK.
44 The learning opportunities available to students on the franchised courses at Shenzhen University are not, however, identical to those offered by the corresponding courses in the UK; a considerable proportion of the teaching, particularly in Year 1, is delivered in Chinese, and some of the module content is adapted to fit better with local conditions. The audit team was of the view that the extent of the difference between the level 1 and 2 courses at Shenzhen from those in the UK was reasonable, and noted the University's practice of asking the UK-based external examiner to sample level 2 work from Shenzhen to monitor comparability of standards at this level (see below, paragraph 51). The provision of the final year of study at level 3, and the control of the final award is directly in the hands of the University of Central Lancashire. There can be confidence in the standards of awards gained by students whose first two years of study were undertaken at Shenzhen University.
Entry requirements
45 The selection process for entry to the franchised courses involves academic staff from the University of Central Lancashire and from Shenzhen University. The process includes an entry test in Mathematics, Physics and English as well as an interview.
46 The audit team discussed the admissions process with staff and students at Shenzhen. They confirmed to the team that appropriate applicants were invited to interview, at which time they were given a short test in Mathematics, Physics and English. Successful applicants receive an offer directly from the University of Central Lancashire about 10 days after interview. The Commentary reported that applications were buoyant, with 2.5 applications being received for every place on the course, and stated the University of Central Lancashire's belief that the above process was rigorous and effective in ensuring that only candidates of the appropriate calibre were admitted to the programme. The team endorsed the University's view.
Assessment of students
47 Examination papers are jointly set by UK-based staff and staff of Shenzhen University, with the UK staff taking the lead and receiving input from Shenzhen staff during the teaching visits. Marking of examinations is conducted by staff of Shenzhen University with guidance from UK staff, and samples of examination scripts are seen by the external examiners.
48 Coursework assignments for Shenzhen students are not identical to those set in the UK, but the Commentary explained that 'care is taken to ensure parity of challenge even though slightly different exercises are used'. The teaching staff who met the audit team at Shenzhen reported that they were responsible for the setting and marking of students' coursework, with guidance from University of Central Lancashire staff, who are able to moderate coursework on an ad hoc basis during teaching visits. There is no local system for second-marking of coursework, but a sample of marked coursework is made available to the external examiners (see below, paragraph 51). The team heard that it was also possible that coursework would be moderated at the assessment board stage 'if a problem arose', although it found no reference in the minutes of assessment boards to such moderation. It was not clear to the team the extent to which, in practice, students' coursework would be routinely subject to second-marking or moderation either by UK-based or Shenzhen-based staff.
49 Assessment Boards are convened in Shenzhen on the completion of each academic year. Each Board is chaired by the Head of Department from the University of Central Lancashire (or nominee) and is attended by the external examiner. The audit team was able to confirm these arrangements in its discussions with staff in Shenzhen.
50 The audit team was satisfied, on the basis of written documentation, and its discussions with staff and students, that the overall assessment demands placed on the students were largely comparable with those in the UK, and that students in Shenzhen experienced a similar diet of assessment chosen to ensure parity of standards with UK-based students.
External examiners
51 The Commentary set out clearly the position on external examiners for the franchised courses. The external examiners for these courses are appointed following the University's normal procedures. Final awards are considered only following the completion of the course in Preston, and classification of the final award thus rests in the hands of the University of Central Lancashire. Following a review of its procedures to check adherence to QAA's Code of practice on collaborative provision and the assessment of students, from the 1999-2000 academic year the external examiners responsible for levels 2 and 3 of the UK programmes also moderate level 2 assessment of the franchised courses at Shenzhen. The audit team endorsed the view of the University that this arrangement provided an opportunity for 'focus to be given to parity of achievement for students based in both countries'.
52 The audit team was informed in discussion with teaching staff at Shenzhen that external examiners' reports are not seen either by the course teaching team or the Course Coordinator at Shenzhen. In the view of the team this may result in missed opportunities for the development of staff of Shenzhen University in UK assessment practices and procedures, and for further familiarisation with the standards expected for the award. The University might wish to consider the merit of routinely making external examiners' reports available to the Course Coordinator at Shenzhen.
53 The University of Central Lancashire franchises to Shenzhen University courses which constitute levels 1 and 2 of programmes leading to the University's awards of BSc (Hons) Electronics and BSc (Hons) Design and Manufacture. Students who successfully complete these first two years of a programme can transfer to the University of Central Lancashire to undertake the final year of the programme. The collaboration is therefore a 2 + 1 articulation. There can be confidence in the University's control of standards since delivery and assessment of level 3 of both programmes is the same for students who transfer from Shenzhen as it is for students who undertake the whole programme in the UK.
54 The University provided for this audit a Commentary on the collaborative link which provided a useful starting point for the audit. Throughout the Commentary, reference was made to examples of adherence to QAA's Code of practice on collaborative provision. The findings of this audit suggest that the University's procedures and processes for managing its overseas collaborative arrangements, as represented by this link with Shenzhen University, meet the expectations of the Code. The Commentary stated that this link was representative of the University's practice and procedures for overseas collaborative provision, although the University's China Office was a special feature.
55 The China Office of the University of Central Lancashire is located on the Shenzhen University campus. It provides valuable support to the students before their transfer to the UK, by assisting with visa applications, and by providing information about the University, and giving socio-cultural information about life in the UK. Staff of the China Office also provide opportunities for the development of student's familiarity with conversational English. This is helpful to the students, but does not directly address problems of weakness in the specialist English of the subject of study. There is a need to address students' exposure in Shenzhen to subject-specific English language so that they are able to gain full benefit from engineering programmes conducted in the English language. The University has an opportunity to do this following the planned secondment of a member of staff of its Department of Languages and International Studies to Shenzhen University for a substantial period of time in each semester with effect from September 2001.
56 Changes have been made to the set of level 1 and level 2 modules of the Design and Manufacture course at Shenzhen to allow articulation to a level 3 course leading to the award of BSc (Hons) Computer Aided Engineering. An approval event was scheduled in June 2001 for the route leading to the Computer Aided Engineering award, but the modifications had already taken place at the time of the audit visit, and were embedded in the course for the current first-year cohort. This implementation of changes to an approved course to provide a route leading to a different named award should not have taken place before the scheduled approval event.
57 The Commentary reflected on the evidence available from the annual review reports over the past three years, and noted the improvements that have been introduced in response to this annual monitoring. It drew attention to the improvement that has been made to the initially high rate of withdrawals and failures, and to the fact that the increase in applications has allowed an increase in both the number and quality of students entering the programme. Annual monitoring and evaluation of the franchised courses by the course leaders and the course coordinators is effective, but restricted information flow above departmental level between periodic and interim reviews limits the ability of the University to have active institutional-level engagement in the maintenance and support of the link.
58 The programme at Shenzhen is largely delivered by academic staff of Shenzhen University, who are well-qualified in their subject specialisations. The programme is supported with resources which are appropriate for the current provision, supported by measures taken by the University and its staff to improve the availability to students at Shenzhen of subject-related texts and articles in English. Delivery of the programme benefits from frequent input from visits by staff who teach on the programmes at the University of Central Lancashire. These staff visits, and reciprocal visits by Shenzhen staff to the UK, provide good opportunities for staff development. The visits by UK staff to Shenzhen also provide opportunities for monitoring the health of the franchised courses. Further benefit might be gained, however, by involving staff at Shenzhen more directly in considering the reports of the external examiners insofar as they relate to the standards expected of a UK honours degree. The findings of this audit suggest that there can be broad confidence in the quality of the learning opportunities offered to students through this collaborative partnership with the Shenzhen University.
Comments on the audit report supplied by the University of Central Lancashire
The University is pleased that the audit team confirmed the University's adherence to the QAA Code of practice on collaborative provision and that the University had taken care to ensure that its procedures and processes for managing its overseas collaborative arrangements met the expectations of the Code. The University also welcomes the team's confidence in the standards of awards gained by students whose first two years of study are undertaken at Shenzhen University, China and in particular the team's endorsement that there is parity of achievement for students based in the UK and China. The University also welcomes the findings of the team that there can be broad confidence in the quality of learning opportunities offered to students through this collaborative partnership.
Generally, the University found the audit team's report helpful in confirming the University's own agenda for the further development of provision and welcomes QAA's endorsement of a number of initiatives which are in train relating to aspects of provision.
In particular, the University wishes to report on the successful revalidation of BSc (Hons) Design and Manufacture to BSc (Hons) Computer Aided Engineering which was carefully planned by the Faculty and completed in June 2001. The University Review Panel was entirely satisfied with this development which mirrors developments to the UK-based course. The University wishes to re-emphasise that from September 2001, progressing students will continue their studies on the originally validated programme leading to the award of BSc (Hons) Design and Manufacture.
In terms of English language provision, from the first semester of 2001-02, further enhancements have been agreed by both institutions. The summer school programme for students progressing from the franchised programme to the final year has been improved further by the addition of subject-specific English Language support. In terms of on-site provision in Shenzhen, a senior member of staff from the University's Department of Languages and International Studies will be based at Shenzhen University for a continuous and substantial period of time in each semester. This member of staff will also be responsible for coordinating both the delivery and assessment of the English language modules at Shenzhen University. The same member of staff will undertake a number of planned staff development activities to work with the teaching staff at Shenzhen University to enhance the delivery of subject-specific language within the modules during 2002-03.
With immediate effect, external examiner reports and any other relevant University-produced material related to the courses will be routinely sent to Shenzhen University to ensure that Shenzhen University is kept fully aware of issues raised by external examiners. The University of Central Lancashire staff visits to Shenzhen University will also provide the opportunity to discuss and identify actions to be taken in response to external examiners from the previous year.
In terms of course management, academic staff from the University of Central Lancashire will undertake teaching visits to Shenzhen University, primarily organised around key academic events in the year, with an additional visit mid-way through the academic year to undertake moderation of student work. The academic leadership of the Faculty joint course programmes in China has recently been reviewed as part of the ongoing development of the University's provision in China. The academic management structure has been widened with Course Leaders with specific responsibility for Years 1 and 2 of each programme in China working closely with the Course Leaders of the UK programmes. This will expose Chinese students to a wider pool of University academic staff and, as a consequence, a greater variety of teaching styles.
The Department of Technology (formerly the Department of Engineering and Product Design) has been in discussion with Shenzhen University over the past few months to develop a web-based NetMeeting facility between the two institutions. This new development will enhance further communication between the two institutions.
It is pleasing to report that since the audit visit took place, the University has achieved a 100 per cent visa success rate for students progressing to their final year at the University of Central Lancashire.
*As supplied by the University of Central Lancashire
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