Purposes and outcomes of the review
The programme reviewed
Section A Framework
Section B Overall educational aims of the programme
Section C An evaluation of the emerging standards of the programme and the emerging achievements of students
Section D An evaluation of the quality of students' learning opportunities
Section E An evaluation of the monitoring and enhancement of quality and standards
Section F Good practice and/or innovative features
Section G Summary of the main review outcomes
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has commissioned the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education to carry out a second programme of reviews of a sample of Foundation Degrees (FDs) in England in the academic year 2004-05. The major purposes of the review process are:
The findings from the reviewers' lines of enquiry result in a published report containing two threshold judgements. In the case of programmes where there are students who have graduated, the report contains judgements on the confidence, or otherwise, the reviewers have in:
In the case of recent programmes where no students have graduated to date, the report contains judgements on the confidence, or otherwise, the reviewers have in:
The report also comments on the maintenance and enhancement of standards and quality, and on the examples of good practice and innovation which may be worthy of wider dissemination.
Each review looks at one FD programme. It covers the entirely of that programme and includes, as applicable, the provision at all sites of delivery, all pathways, sites of work-based learning and modes of study.
The review takes place within a framework that includes a range of activities common to all reviews. Each review is structured around a series of 11 key questions to be considered by the provider in preparing its self-evaluation and by the reviewers when summarising evidence to be used to reach the two threshold judgements. The same questions form the structure of the report.
Foundation Degree (FD) in Criminology and Criminal Justice
1 The FD in Criminology and Criminal Justice is validated by the University of Lancaster. Blackburn College, the lead partner, and Blackpool and The Fylde College collaborated in the development of the programme and, from its start in 2003, collaborated in the programme's delivery. Changes in the way the University manages its college partnerships has meant that from the 2004-05 academic year, the two colleges now operate independently of each other. Although initially a single programme delivered at two sites, there are now two programmes, albeit with the same name, both validated by the University and regarded as 'different but equivalent'.
2 At Blackburn College, the FD is one of the criminology programmes offered in the School of Social Sciences within the East Lancashire Institute of Higher Education (ELIHE). Blackpool and The Fylde College delivers the programme in the School of Academic Studies at the College's central Blackpool Campus. The programme's delivery at Blackburn College complements other criminology programmes there, including the BA (Hons) in Criminology, validated by the University of Lancaster. There is direct articulation to that degree at Blackburn from the FD at both colleges, subject to appropriate bridging. At present there is no corresponding degree programme delivered at Blackpool and The Fylde College.
3 In developing the programme, discussions with existing employers within forums operating at Blackburn identified a skills shortage of suitably qualified entrants to areas such as the Probation Service, Youth Offending Teams and Crime and Disorder Units. Further discussions with the Voluntary Bureaux forum member noted significant numbers of people involved in voluntary work within the criminal justice system who do not possess relevant formal qualifications. Building on these discussions, both colleges have developed a wide range of contacts in the relevant services and agencies in the areas of northern Lancashire, from where they attract most of their students.
4 All 25 students currently enrolled on the Blackburn programme, and all but two of the 18 at Blackpool and The Fylde College, are studying in full-time mode. Delivery of the full-time programme is over two years. The various services or agencies employ many of the students. In addition to the work-based learning (WBL) that their employees undertake, they also provide WBL opportunities for other students who are either in non-relevant employment, the majority or who are unemployed. Hence, the colleges use 15 employers or voluntary agencies to deliver WBL. These include the Lancashire Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, Crown Court Service and Magistrates Court Service, Victim Support, the Probation Service and several voluntary bureaux that include the Samaritans and the Prince's Trust, all located in Blackburn, Blackpool and neighbouring towns.
5 This degree operates within the general aims of the criminology provision of the School of Social Sciences at Blackburn and the School of Academic Studies at Blackpool and The Fylde College, and seeks to achieve programme-specific aims that reflect the defining characteristics of FDs: accessibility, flexibility, employer involvement, articulation, progression and partnership. The FD aims to,
6 The aims and learning outcomes are stated clearly in the programme specification, are appropriately linked and are consistent with the defining characteristics of FDs. They place particular emphasis on relevant employer involvement, partnership, and accessibility. Programme learning outcomes are appropriate to the achievement of the intermediate level of the FHEQ; progression from certificate to intermediate level is signalled by differentiated learning outcomes for knowledge and understanding, but not for skills.
7 Learning outcomes for units reflect outcomes for the programme as a whole, especially the need to acquire relevant knowledge and to integrate this knowledge in practice. The embedding of skills across all units is not, however, consistently reflected in all unit learning outcomes.
8 Students are aware of the defining characteristics of FDs. They endorse the value of an award that allows entry from applicants without traditional qualifications, provides opportunities for flexible study, involves WBL, and allows them to apply knowledge to their existing work experience. Student handbooks communicate general programme aims and objectives in user-friendly fashion. This has, however, resulted in some inconsistency of terminology in communicating programme learning outcomes among documents designed for different purposes. The Blackburn College Handbook does not use the term, relevant intentions appearing more as aims.
9 Involvement of representatives of criminal justice and related agencies in the programme's development and in the Employers' Forum at both colleges, has ensured their awareness of its broad aims and outcomes.
10 The programme aims and outcomes reflect the defining characteristics of FDs and the FHEQ. Their communication, however, could be more consistent and coherent.
11 The design of the curriculum is clearly articulated, ensures coverage of key areas of criminology and the criminal justice system, and also includes a number of imaginative areas relevant to employer backgrounds (for example, forensic psychology, mediation and advocacy, and victimology). Optional units (30 credits) at level 2 are available at Blackburn College. Students typically study the programme full-time over two years. Study can be extended beyond this period in exceptional circumstances. Completion of the programme earns 240 credits.
12 The programme addresses the needs of students with non-traditional entry qualifications through the early inclusion of a research-skills unit in the first semester of year one and through the embedding of skills across all other units. Consultation with employers informed the content of the research-skills unit, but some adjustment of the balance of study skills and research skills towards the latter has also occurred on the second delivery of the unit, as a result of student feedback and staff experience.
13 A strong vocational emphasis characterises the design of the curriculum. This provides for the development of independent learning skills requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and decision-making, as set out in the FHEQ for intermediate level qualities. Integration of academic knowledge with work experience is evident, in that theoretical content and assessment link readily to the contexts in which students are employed (for example, youth offending, victim support).
14 The work-based assessment (level 2 - 30 credits) provides a major focus for WBL. Students must undertake a preparatory period of work experience at level 1 to ensure progression to level 2, although this is not included in the credited programme structure. Guided personal development planning at level 1, for which a reflective practice profile must be completed to ensure progression, facilitates commitment to lifelong learning, as does the requirement for critical reflection within the work-based assessment report.
15 Articulation arrangements exist to the BA (Hons) Criminology at Blackburn, through a 15-credit bridging unit based on three days of in-college sessions supported by distance-learning materials; other articulation arrangements are under consideration. Contact has been made with the Skills for Justice Sector Sklls Council (SSC), but the programme has not been formally registered, and the SSC FD Framework is still under development. The programme teams acknowledge the need to develop links with the SSC.
16 The design and content of the curriculum successfully reflects the defining characteristics of FDs and enables students to achieve the programme learning outcomes.
17 The assessment strategy and methods of assessment, including appropriate competence-based assessment, are appropriate to the programme outcomes relating to academic knowledge and understanding and to vocational skills and their application in the work setting. Assignment briefs indicate summative assessment of only selected unit learning outcomes. Furthermore, there is a lack of clarity and coherence about the way that specified learning outcomes are subsequently reflected in 'assessment criteria' and in the link between 'assessment criteria' and the six broad categories of feedback that appear on the coursework front sheet.
18 Students understand the assessment arrangements, although details of the assignments had not been made known to the students at the start of the year. This was to avoid contributing to the students' anxiety, especially since many were new to formal study or returning after a considerable time away from it. In the early stages of the programme, assignments were set by Blackburn College but the colleges now set their own locally devised assessments.
19 Assessment is through a range of assignments. Of particular note is the use of imaginative case-studies that require students to draw upon their own knowledge and understanding and relate it to the work situation. Students in their work places spoke highly of the extent to which the academic assignments had enabled them to bring enquiry skills to the work setting. Assessment overall is consistent with and appropriate to the intermediate level of the FHEQ and level 5 of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority National Qualifications Framework.
20 The providers claim that 'comprehensive facilities' exist for accreditation of prior learning (APL), both certificated and experiential, but as yet students have made little use of them.
21 Employers have been involved in giving advice and guidance in the design of assignments, but not formally in setting any assessments. Although they have signed formal learning contracts for their employee students, they do not appear to have had any formal briefing by the colleges in respect of their involvement in work-based assignments. The appropriate autonomy given to students to conduct research projects is insufficiently underpinned by systematic consideration of ethical and risk-assessment issues. The reviewers consider that ad hoc referrals to the course consultant or programme staff are procedurally insufficient to provide the necessary safeguards to providers and students or comply with professional codes of ethics.
22 The first cohort of students will not graduate until the summer of 2005, but the reviewers judge that the emerging assessment processes can consistently measure students' achievement of programme outcomes. Consideration of the equivalence of the arrangements for assessment at the two delivery sites is confounded, however, by the increased separation of course management since the start of the programme. In its first year, the use of dedicated collaborative moderation days helped to establish consistency and equivalence of standards but this process no longer operates as the programmes at the two colleges have diverged in 2004-05.
23 The reviewers were able to sample limited amounts of summative assessed work from level 1 only. This included work from seven units over the two years the programme has been running. The timing of the review, midway through the second year for the first cohort of students, prevented the scrutiny of any assessed work from level 2 Assessment of the WBL unit for level 2 students is still at a formative stage, as it leads to an end-of-year assignment, and other assignments had only just been completed.
24 The evidence from assignments, records of student achievement and meetings with students supports the view that unit and level 1 outcomes are being achieved and that programme outcomes are likely to be achieved. All current level 2 students who did not withdraw during year one satisfactorily completed level 1. The level 1 students' work that the reviewers' saw is appropriate to the certificate level of the FHEQ, although presentation standards vary considerably, with insufficient use and citation of source evidence. Students are covering an appropriate range of employment-relevant skills (technical, work-specific, key and generic); there is an integration of work and academic activities and skills; and students are benefiting from a broad range of study.
25 Written feedback from tutors on report forms and scripts is helpful, focusing on strengths and weaknesses. It is received relatively late in the academic year, however, and its formative role is therefore limited. Very little of the current year's semester 1 assessed work had been returned to students by the time of the review, in the early part of semester 2. Students confirm, however, that they receive helpful informal feedback on their work in regular and on-demand tutorials.
26 Year-two students, collectively and in their work-based setting, indicated that a high proportion of them are seeking progression to the final year of the BA (Hons) in criminology at Blackburn College. A bridging unit exists to facilitate that progression and to enable the remedy of any skills gap identified for individual students. The providers expect that students will require a minimal level of bridging, as the design of the FD gave appropriate consideration to the learning outcomes of the BA (Hons) Criminology.
27 Development of the FD involved consultation with employers. The initial focus of this consultation was the Employers' Forum in Blackburn College, established through the College's links of vocational programmes with an extensive network of employers. This includes links developed by the College's HND and BA (Hons) Criminology programmes with both statutory and voluntary agencies in the criminal justice system. Development of the programme was partly a response to the employers' identification of a skills shortage in the sector.
28 The reviewers obtained clear evidence that feedback from employers informed some of the programme's skills-based learning outcomes as well as the learning outcomes of specific units, such as Research Skills. Students confirm that pertinent work-related skills are embedded in the units throughout the programme. The reviewers' analysis of student work confirms that assessment items, such as case studies, appropriately assess the acquisition of such skills, and in particular the contextualised learning.
29 The FD at Blackpool and The Fylde College offers WBL in criminology for the first time. Hence the network of employer links is in a more developmental stage than at Blackburn College. Nevertheless, some employers were interviewed before the programme began and have attended the Employers' Forum. Both colleges have a nominated staff member with primary responsibility for developing and maintaining links with employers.
30 Employers confirmed the students' views that the programme effectively integrates theory and practice and provides appropriate staff development beneficial to the needs of the employer and the career of the student. They also noted a weakness in systematic dissemination of programme documentation.
31 WBL is appropriately embedded in all units throughout the programme, but employer involvement in the assessment process is predominantly on the basis of consultancy rather than any formal assessment of summative work. Academic staff assess and monitor the WBL Unit through the use of a specific WBL guide, relevant logs and critical reflection by the student. Employers reported providing support for students completing their assignments, and in some instances formative feedback.
The reviewers have confidence in the emerging academic standards and emerging achievements of students.
32 Learning and teaching methods are appropriate for achieving the programme learning outcomes, with particular emphasis on reflective practice and the skills required for contemporary work in and around criminal justice. This includes working in youth justice, multi-agency working and the use of volunteers. The reviewers found a consistent emphasis, which was shared by staff, employers and students, on the integration of theory with practice, particularly through WBL.
33 To cater for employed students, teaching takes place on two days each week, between 1600 and 2100 hours. The sessions include lectures, seminars, discussions and workshops, in a small-group setting that encourages students to contribute fully, with academic and personal tutorial support contributing to a strong learning culture.
34 Appropriate learning materials support the delivery of the curriculum, including materials for flexible learning. In-house teaching combines with student-led sessions (workshops and presentations), including reflections on practice and WBL, and the programmes make extensive use of outside speakers from criminal justice and related organisations. These are strong features, in keeping with the defining characteristics of FDs; employer involvement, flexibility and partnership. Both employers and students see the external contributions to the programme as a useful way of introducing students to possible career opportunities. This feature of the programme has useful outcomes for criminal justice agencies, the colleges and students. Employer representatives confirmed the interplay of academic studies and WBL and pointed to mutual benefits.
35 Student evaluation of the teaching and learning provision is uniformly positive. The learning and teaching approach is effective for students coming from non-traditional backgrounds and effectively promotes independent and lifelong learning. Students state that the FD offers work-related knowledge and understanding that will empower them to gain (or advance) employment in criminal justice; and that progression through the BA (Hons) would be part of this process.
36 The near-identical nature of the programme in the two colleges, starting from a shared development with the same intended learning outcomes and similar schemes of work, teaching methods and materials, suggests a consistent quality of curriculum delivery at both sites.
37 Both colleges have robust enrolment procedures and the self-evaluation refers to the great significance placed upon 'interviewing prospective students' and the 'induction process'. Students confirmed that they had been interviewed before being accepted on the programme, and this interview had involved discussion of the aims of the programme and the student's suitability for undertaking it.
38 Students receive handbooks at both colleges that provide general programme aims and objectives. The handbooks make specific reference to the core features of FDs and the way that all assessment instruments have an embedded vocational emphasis. Information about the programme, including the bridging arrangements for the articulated honours degree, is not comprehensive. There is a separate WBL guide.
39 Students benefit from the emphasis placed on tutorial support. Weekly tutorials are a strong feature of the programme and an open-door policy also operates. The students appreciate the approachability of the staff and their academic and personal support, which helped their growth in confidence during the programme.
40 The staff see the effectiveness of the support for non-traditional students in their learning as a defining characteristic of the programme. Both colleges are sensitive to the needs of those students and closely monitor retention. The annual course review for 2003-04 reported high attrition rates in the first few weeks of the programme, before the enrolment census date. The programme teams have been addressing this by further strengthening the interview and selection procedures for entry to the programme. Students who declined to continue generally did so for personal or work reasons. This is also true of the few students who left the programme later in the year, two at Blackburn College and five at Blackpool and The Fylde College. The remaining students, 10 (83 per cent) at Blackburn and 13 (72 per cent) at Blackpool all satisfactorily completed the year, the full-time students progressing to level 2. The programme teams claim that these proportions are in line with those for courses recruiting non-traditional students.
41 All students have personal tutors, offering good email support as well as in-office contact, which caters for varying student needs. At Blackpool and The Fylde College, an academic tutor who is not a part of the teaching team provides a further dimension of support, seeing students by individual appointment for personal or programme-related support.
42 The consideration given to personal development planning is primarily through seminars and tutorials, when students regularly reflect and report on their progress. WebCT developments at Blackburn College will also provide opportunities for online support, although at the time of the review, level 1 students had not yet engaged with the technology.
43 There are appropriate procedures for the consideration of APL but, as yet, students have shown little interest in the opportunities. The programme teams are aware of the need to address this matter in time for the 2005 recruitment to the programme.
44 Students receive advice on careers and other progression opportunities in individual career interviews. At the time of review no students had completed the programme. They had been aware since they started the programme of the opportunity to progress to the articulated BA (Hons) programme and other degrees, but the details of the bridging arrangements had not been communicated to them.
45 The reviewers confirm the care and sensitivity with which both colleges approach the recruitment, induction and support of students on the programme.
46 Both colleges have a core of FD-dedicated academic staff. There are five full-time and three part-time staff at Blackburn College and seven full-time staff at Blackpool and The Fylde College, all with CVs that reflect appropriate subject-specific qualifications and interests. Each programme has a member of staff who takes special responsibility for WBL. The Employers' Forum consolidates the links between academic provision and professional practice. Strong institutional and interpersonal links with criminal justice agencies make WBL a satisfactory experience for students.
47 Strong institutional support for staff development is a function of annual appraisal, with recent and future developments recorded on staff CVs. There are five academic staff at Blackburn College currently undertaking PhD study, with the University of Lancaster offering 50 per cent remission of fees and the balance provided by the College. Blackpool and The Fylde College is committed to developing its research culture. Employers and students confirm the academic ability, enthusiasm and commitment of teaching staff.
48 The range and quantity of physical learning resources, and appropriate access to them, are adequate for the needs of the programme. Delivery at Blackburn College takes place at the ELIHE, which houses lecture and seminar rooms, staff accommodation and a refectory. HE students have exclusive use of the Higher Education Study Centre. They have open access to 36 networked computers with internet and intranet connections and a reasonable collection of relevant reference books and journals, supported by IT and library staff. Students have access to these dedicated facilities 0900 to 2100 hours Monday to Thursday during term time. Students also have access to the main College library. Some £6,000 has been spent in the last three years on library resources for criminology, but there was some student concern about insufficient copies of core books. Teaching rooms are appropriately furnished.
49 Delivery at Blackpool and the Fylde College takes place in the South Block, Central Campus, which houses lecture and seminar rooms, staff accommodation and a refectory. Although the site is not higher education (HE) specific there is a resource centre (and learning resource adviser) with a collection of relevant reference books and journals. Students have access to these dedicated facilities 0900 to 1930 hours Monday to Thursday during term time. Students also have access to the main College library at Bispham. Some £1,500 a year has been spent in the last three years on criminology books and journals. Teaching rooms are furnished appropriately. The College plans to move most of its HE provision to the Central Campus by 2007 and introduce a virtual-learning environment in the near future.
50 Students were highly appreciative of what they saw as FD-specific teaching resources in a location that allowed them to have a sense of identity within the College as a whole, with excellent support from academic and library staff.
51 Employers contribute to the delivery of the programme in two main ways: through participation in a programme of guest speakers and through the provision of WBL. Students considered the almost weekly contribution of visiting speakers to be invaluable and, while not yet completed at the time of the review, they were finding the WBL helpful in applying theoretical concepts to real-life situations.
52 Meetings with students and a range of WBL providers confirm the effectiveness of that learning. The curriculum has prepared the students well for the WBL and assessment in the second year; students are relating all the academic units to the work situation.
53 Most students already have relevant work experience as a volunteer or employee. Where this is not so, students are aware that they are required to complete a work placement. It is noticeable that the preparation both of volunteers and employees by agencies enhances their role as students.
54 In line with the section of the Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education (Code of practice), Section 9: Placement learning, published by QAA, a learning contract is in place and an identified college mentor and agency mentor support each student. There is no evidence, however, of mentor training or induction of employers into their role and responsibilities. Students receive a WBL guide that contains this information. Its systematic distribution to employers would be beneficial.
55 Both groups of students indicated that the programme prepared them well for the demands of WBL in year two. The students in Blackpool and The Fylde College claimed, however, that they were initially unaware that they had to find their own placement and they did not receive the guidelines before the beginning of their placement.
56 The colleges invited employers and potential WBL providers to review the programme at employers' forums in Blackburn and Blackpool colleges. They did not, however, prepare the agencies for their participation by systematically disseminating written documentation on the programme. Equally, there is a lack of clarity on the role of the tutor in WBL. All parties appear to have to rely on the WBL guide provided for the students.
57 Nevertheless, all employers spoke highly of the programme and saw benefits to themselves from the students' engagement with the programme and their development of appropriate employment skills. The programme is therefore meeting the first two defining characteristics of a FD: the integration of academic studies and WBL; and providing the learner with the opportunity to apply, in the workplace, the skills and knowledge learnt, as well as providing opportunities for learning in the workplace environment.
The reviewers have confidence in the quality of the students' learning opportunities.
58 The programme originated as a collaborative venture of the University of Lancaster, as the validating body, with its two Associate Colleges, Blackpool and The Fylde College and, as lead partner, Blackburn College. Documentation for the University's continuation audit in 2003 outlines the distinctive features of the quality-assurance management of FDs in the Associate Colleges. The requirements for FDs delivered by different partners included a single programme specification, cross moderation of assessments, regular Scheme team meetings and a common external examiner. During its first year of operation, the programme met the first three of these requirements during its first year; external examiners are not involved in the first year of the University's degree programmes. The appointment of a course consultant in the University met a requirement for all Associated College programmes validated by the University. The formal arrangements between the two colleges and the University align with the Code of practice, Section 2: Collaborative provision.
59 In May 2004, the University decided that each FD would be considered as a discrete programme under the regulations of the college at which it was delivered. This was seen as congruent with the agreed instruments of association, which delegate quality assurance to the colleges. The reviewers are satisfied that the quality-assurance procedures in both colleges address the defining characteristics of FDs.
60 Neither the self-evaluation, the other advanced documentation that the reviewers received, nor the annual reports for the first year of the programme's operation, refer to the decoupling of the programme at the two colleges. At the time of review, however, there were in effect two different programmes, with the same name, both validated by the University. In practice, the divergence that has occurred so far in the programmes' delivery is not extensive, although it includes the setting of different assignments at the two colleges and the cessation of cross-moderation.
61 As the validating body, the University continues to receive annual reviews, appoints external examiners and receives annual reports from course consultants. The reviewers question, however, the University's managing of the process of decoupling. The first students have not yet graduated and yet cross-moderation is no longer taking place. As late as December 2004, well into the final year for the first student cohort, the appointment of external examiners and a new course consultant for Blackpool and The Fylde College had still not been completed. The absence of cross moderation and of a shared external examiner and course consultant arguably make it more difficult for the University to assure itself of the equivalence of the two programmes.
62 Analysis of the student work reaffirmed the reviewers' confidence in the assessment process and the general equivalence of the students' emerging achievements at the two colleges. Nevertheless, the decoupling of the two programmes did not feature in the annual reports for 2003-04 from both colleges, and there were no appropriate action plans for 2004-05 to assure that equivalence as the two programmes further develop; nor were there relevant comments in the course consultant's reports. The University's consideration of the reports makes no mention of these omissions.
63 The articulated honours degree for both programmes remains the BA (Hons) at Blackburn College. As the programmes develop more independently, the need to assure their equivalence has growing significance. The University may care to review the rigour of its application of the quality-assurance procedures, as demonstrated by its management of the transition from one to two programmes.
64 The self-evaluation claims innovation and good practice in respect of eight aspects of the provision. The reviewers could identify no innovations, but confirm three aspects that show considerable strength, two of which include elements of good practice.
65 The claim over widening participation is that the programme enrols students with a range of non-traditional entry qualifications and from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. This is a strength of the programme in which good practice is exemplified by students receiving personal guidance on application to ensure they are matched to the right award, and delivery times being tailored to allow for work and family commitments.
66 Strong employer links are a feature of the programme. The programme is meeting employers' needs across a range of agencies. Staff are responsive to current agency developments and employers report that FD students add value to their work. At Blackburn College, a well-established Employers' Forum pre-dates FD developments, and has contributed to employer engagement in programme design, delivery, and WBL opportunities. Elements of good practice by employers include the provision of opportunities for students to engage in agency projects, and the inclusion of programme staff in their strategy meetings. Further examples of good practice are employers being invited to the programme's first award celebration at Blackburn College, and a nominated staff member at each college whose role is dedicated to developing and maintaining links with employers.
67 The reviewers consider student support to be a strength of the provision, but could not support the claim for good practice. Students commend the availability of programme tutors, the advice they provide through personal and group tutorials, email, and the opportunity for additional individual support meetings. Written feedback is also helpful, but received relatively late in the academic year. A more timely return of written feedback could strengthen its formative role.
68 In relation to the other five claims for good practice, delivery of the programme by dedicated scheme teams is subsumed within student support. Claims regarding distance travelled by students, academic and skills provision, and contextualisation of theory within the work-based setting are premature: no students have yet achieved the award; adjustments to delivery of the Research Skills unit are ongoing; and the outcomes of the work-based assessment, crucial to considering the programme's learning and teaching strategy as related to the last two claims, are as yet unavailable.
69 Collaborative arrangements with the University were a cause of some concern, as already documented under Key question 10 in relation to decoupling the programme's delivery at the two colleges and Key question 3 with regard to the ethics approval process.
The Foundation Degree in Criminology validated by the University of Lancaster and delivered at Blackburn College and Blackpool and The Fylde College was reviewed in the academic year 2004-05. Judgements were made about the emerging academic standards and the emerging achievement of students and of the quality of the learning opportunities provided.
Overall, the reviewers have confidence in the emerging academic standards and emerging achievements of students.
Overall, the reviewers have confidence in the quality of learning opportunities provided for students.
Features of good practice and innovation include:
Strengths of the programme include:
Areas for development include