Making Changes to Modules and the Module Portfolio

Changes to the portfolio of optional modules (i.e. to the modules offered) that impact timetabling must be approved and submitted to the Curriculum Management Team in October 2024 (for 25/26).

Changes that impact timetabling include:

• Creating a new module (this requires a module proposal form and module specification).
• Changing the semester of delivery.
• Changing the contact hours (i.e. numbers of lectures, seminars, etc.).
• Changes to the title of an existing module (as this generates a new module code). 
• Changing the level of an existing module, e.g. from LC to LI (as this generates a new module code).
• Changing the credit value of an existing module, e.g. from 10 to 20 credits (as this generates a new module code).

Changes that do not impact timetabling must be made by the end of January 2025. These changes include:

• Changes to the assessment.
• Changes to the module description.
• Changes to the learning outcomes.

Changes can be made after the January deadline but will require student consultation (see below).

Please see the Information for Timetablers page for further information regarding timetabling deadlines for 24/25.

The below are examples of changes that do not require student consultation:

• Changes to compulsory modules made by the June that is 16 months before delivery (e.g. June 2025 for Sept 2026).
• Changes to optional modules that don't impact timetabling (see above) that are made by the end of January before delivery (e.g. January 2025 for September 2025).
• Changes to optional modules that do impact Timetabling that are made by October before delivery (e.g. October 2024 for September 2025). 
• Changes to module lead, semester of delivery, and other administrative changes that have no impact on students. 

Changes made after the above deadlines that impact the student experience, and that result in the module being different from that which students were expecting, require a high level of student consultation (e.g. gaining student feedback on the proposed change). These include:

• Removing or introducing a compulsory module (or an optional module after it has been chosen by students). 
• Significant changes to module assessment on a compulsory module (or an optional module after it has been chosen by students) (e.g. changing from 100% assessment by essay to assessment by exam and presentation). 
• Significant changes to the module description and/or learning outcomes that alter what the students will be learning (and that, therefore, may also impact programme learning outcomes). 

Changes made after the above deadlines that have minimal/no impact on the student experience require a low level of student consultation (e.g. informing students of a change but not requiring a response). These include:

• Minor changes to the module learning outcomes and description that do not materially affect what the students will be learning.
• Minor changes to the assessment, e.g. changing the weighting of assessments or word lengths, or introducing a new assessment type with a low weighting. 
• Changes introduced as a result of and in response to student feedback (particularly if it is from the students who will be affected by the change).

• Emails/letters to applicants, led by Marketing (for changes that impact programmes/programme factsheets after applicants have accepted their offer).
• Emails to students (particularly if a response is required).
• Canvas announcements, e.g. on the site for the affected module.
• Lecture shouts (virtually or in-person).
• (Re)induction presentations.
• Student Staff Forums (it is best practice to utilise these when making any changes to ensure students are engaged in programme/module design).
• Please also refer to the Policy on Student Consultation (PDF - 123KB) and its associated Guidance (PDF - 122KB).

Written communication with students regarding assessment, feedback and other teaching matters must only be undertaken using the institutional Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), University email and/or other institutionally approved platforms. Communication must not be undertaken through social media, messaging apps or any other platforms that are not approved for this purpose and supported by the University.

In addition to student consultation, it may also be appropriate to consult with the below colleagues, depending on the extent to which the changes impact the student experience:

• College Marketing need to be informed/consulted with when changes are made that impact the student experience, particularly if the change is made after the June that is 18 months before delivery for compulsory modules. This is to ensure that marketing literature, factsheets, and communications with students regarding the module/programme are updated.
• College Planning Partners and College Accountants - especially for new module proposals that may require additional resource.
• Partner Schools/Colleges who offer a module that is being changed on their programmes should always be consulted/informed regarding changes, particularly if the changes are to the module title, credit value, level, contact hours, learning outcomes, assessment, module description, and semester of delivery. 
• Central Timetabling - if a new module is being proposed or if the change will affect the timetable e.g. if it will generate a new module code (see above), the hours are changing, or the semester of delivery is being changed. 
• Central Exams - only for in-session changes, if assessment codes and exam room bookings need to be amended. 
• Taught or Research Student Administration - particularly if a module is being withdrawn. Registry will be able to inform you of any students who have the right to retrieve a failure in any module that is being withdrawn. As students, in some instances, are permitted to defer reassessment, full withdrawal of the module might have to be delayed until they have exercised their right to a resit attempt.

Any change to a module or programme that takes place in the current academic session is called an in-session change. As these changes carry a high risk, they require verification by the Chair of the University Quality Assurance Committee, following approval by the School and College (the same forms are used as normal).

The rationale for any in-session changes needs to be very strong, e.g. changes to assessment made in response to student feedback that will have a clear benefit to the student experience. 

To create a new module, a module proposal form must be completed and accompanied by a module specification. The specification outlines the module’s content, including its learning outcomes and assessment.

To modify an existing module, the module modification form must be completed and accompanied by the module's specification that shows the required amendments in tracked changes. This is so those approving the modifications can clearly see what is being changed and so the Curriculum Management Team know which module information to alter in the Banner records system. If the same change, with the same rationale, is being made across multiple modules, one modification form can be submitted with multiple module specifications. 

To withdraw an existing module(s), the module withdrawal form should be completed, and no specification is required. Multiple modules can be withdrawn on the same withdrawal form, provided the rationale is the same, e.g. the modules are being withdrawn because they are consistently low-recruiting.  

• Form Bank
• Additional Module Guidance

All module proposal, modification, and withdrawal forms require approval by the School Education Committee (or equivalent). Module proposal and withdrawal forms should then be approved by the College Quality Assurance and Approval Committee (CQAAC) (usually by Chair's Action), to ensure that any potential resource implications or other factors are thoroughly scrutinised. (In many Colleges module modifications are also approved by CQAAC Chair's Action; please contact your College Academic Policy Partner if you are unsure of the practice in your College).

Once approved, the proposal/modification/withdrawal form can be submitted to the Curriculum Management Team so the required changes can be made in Banner; they will send a confirmation email once the module has been created/modified/withdrawn. 

• Form Bank

The below changes can be made simply by emailing the Curriculum Management Team. 

• Changes to the semester in which the module is delivered.
• Changes to the module lead.
• Changes to formative assessment also do not require formal approval; any changes to formative assessment should be made by administrative staff in your School/Institute (a revised specification can be sent to CMT for their records once the changes have been made locally).

Assessment categories will make the assessment information presented to students via the Course and Modules Catalogue (which will replace the Programmes and Modules Handbook, provisionally in Sept 2025) easier to digest. All assessments are divided into either 'coursework' or 'examination', with the total percentage assessed by this method displayed alongside. Therefore, a module assessed by an essay, presentation, and blog post would appear on the Course and Modules Catalogue as '100% coursework'. Providing this general level of information to students can remove the requirement to consult with students if the assessment is to be modified in advance of the module running (e.g. a 3000 word essay changes to a 2000 word blog post and 5 minute presentation), as long as the assessment category is unchanged (and the assessment detail has not been provided to students by other means). 

Note that changes to assessment will continue to require approval (via the module modification process), to ensure the assessment is an appropriate and suitable means of assessing the learning outcomes, requires an appropriate amount of student effort, and that it meets the course's assessment strategy and/or accreditation requirements. For these reasons, more detailed assessment information (the type of coursework, word/exam length) will continue to be captured on module specifications. This information should still be as brief as possible, e.g. 'essay, 2000 words (50%), individual presentation, 10 minutes (50%)', to allow flexibility, and, as previously, a module modification will be required to change the assessment information contained in the module specification. 

More detailed assessment information will continue to be made available to students locally via module handbooks.

Examples of the two assessment categories are provided below.

Assessment is an important part of learning and is integral to the student experience. Assessment should be appropriately varied and a valid measurement of the module and/or programme learning outcomes, as well as being authentic to the discipline.

The Assessment Load Guidance (24-25) (PDF - 225KB) has therefore been developed to aid staff when planning the assessment on their programmes and modules and to promote consistency in assessment load. It aligns with the UoB Assessment & Feedback Principles and the Code of Practice on Taught Programme and Module Assessment and Feedback; and Colleges may choose to provide further guidance to aid local interpretation, taking account of disciplinary nuances and subject benchmark statements.

The University have put together a short Canvas course where you’ll learn about the University’s obligations under Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidance, and how we can make sure that we are providing up-to-date, accurate and timely information to prospective students. If you’d like to complete the course then please contact Lauren Neale, who can add you to the course on Canvas.

CMA guidance is also available here.