Learning and teaching policy development
Learning and teaching policies outline the rules, responsibilities and procedures for all aspects of learning and teaching at the University, and of students’ experiences in courses and supervised research programmes.
Policy Hub
The Policy Hub is the go-to for the current versions of all policies, including those concerned with learning and teaching.
Policy types
Policies take a number of forms and these are defined by the Policy Framework Policy.
| Type of policy | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Statute | Statutes are formal and binding University laws which apply to staff and/or students and are made by Council under the provisions of section 284 of the Education and Training Act 2020. |
| Regulation | Regulations are made by Council, and generally refer to academic programmes and courses. These are included in the University Calendar. |
| Policy | Policies establish key principles and values that govern decision-making at the University and rules that are mandatory and apply across the University. |
| Procedures | Procedures give detailed mandatory direction on how a policy or statute is to be implemented. These are generally more detailed. |
| Standards | Standards are mandatory and specific to a particular technology or topic area. |
| Guidelines | Guidelines are approved and recommended approaches - but are not mandatory. Generally, they provide practical advice (and examples) of how specific policies may apply in particular areas, and suggestions for effective implementation. These are not contained on the Policy Hub but will generally be found in webpages. |
Policy approval process
Learning and teaching policies are generally approved by the University’s Council – or in some cases, this responsibility is delegated to the Provost. The Council (or Provost) takes advice from the University’s Senate on matters relating to courses of study or training, awards, and other academic matters.
Policies are considered first by the Education Committee, which reports to Senate; and some policies are considered also by its subcommittee, the Teaching and Learning Quality Committee. Both committees have student representatives, representatives from each faculty, and elected academic staff.
Education Committee is chaired by the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education, Professor Bridget Kool.
Teaching and Learning Quality Committee (TLQC) is chaired by the Director of Learning and Teaching, Dr Gayle Morris.
Policy development and review
Learning and teaching policies are reviewed regularly, and may be updated as appropriate.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor Education oversees the regular review of policies, and is the owner of most of them. The Academic Quality Office maintains a record of learning and teaching policies, and consults stakeholders as appropriate – including students, teaching and professional staff, and academic leaders.