Annual Review of Courses
The Annual Review of Courses (ARC) provides a concise summary of all developmental activity undertaken and planned by a department in relation to a course/group of courses.
These reports are required for all undergraduate and taught postgraduate awards. All courses should be included in the report, including sub-degree courses such as Foundation degrees, Diplomas of Higher Education, and Certificates of Higher Education. Where modules are offered which are not linked to a course, for example CPD modules, these should also be included.
Function of ARCs
ARCs are a useful resource for departmental staff, faculties, external examiners and external auditors as they enable the department to:
- review and evaluate their courses and modules to inform quality assurance and enhancement
- develop action plans that ensure the enhancement of the courses and modules under review
- ensure excellence in the quality of education and alignment to the University’s Education Objectives
- identify and share good practice and lessons to be learned
ARCs allow the University to have oversight of themes that are emerging across departments and faculties that need to be acted upon, and to share good practice across the institution. From an external point of view, an effective ARC is a necessity if we are to demonstrate to external auditors the currency, security and validity of our awards.
PSRB requirements
Departments should contact the Quality and Academic Development team (QUAD) where there are particular requirements of a professional, statutory or regulatory body (PSRB) which may affect the format of annual monitoring and reporting.
Reflective evaluation and quality enhancement
In order to be effective, ARC reports need to act as a focus for reflective evaluation of curriculum, delivery, student experience and the achievement of students. They also need to look forward to the next delivery of the curriculum, building on the experience and evidence of the previous year, and thereby facilitate the active enhancement of quality and standards.
Deadlines for submitting reports
The timeframe for the preparation and submission of the ARC has been designed to align with the University's Annual Strategic Planning process, and to enable reports to be considered by the Faculty Education Committees and overviews by Academic Quality and Standards Committee.
Please note that the Deans will be reviewing these reports and providing feedback to departments/schools, as well as oral updates to their Faculty Education Committee. It is therefore essential that reports are submitted by the deadlines below, or ideally earlier where possible.
- Undergraduate: By noon on 9 December 2024
- Postgraduate research: By noon on 29 January 2025
- Postgraduate taught: By noon on 17 March 2025
Please note from 2024/25 the timeline for submission of UG and PGT ARCs have been extended in response to feedback from departments about the previous timeline.
Planning Information Portal
The Planning Information Portal provides access to reports and documentation that supports the annual planning process and the Annual Review of Courses (ARC) including:
- ARC data report
- KPI (Key Performance Indicator) report
- NSS (National Student Survey) - by department
- NSS (National Student Survey) - by subject
- UKES (UK Engagement Survey) results
- NSS and UKES free text comments are available on PIP (select your department, then ‘Documents relating to student surveys’)
- PTES (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey) results
- Graduate Outcomes
In addition to the ARC data report, further ‘added value’ dashboards are available to enable in-depth insight into the following areas:
Resources
Preparation and guidance
Proformas and reports
- Annual Review of Courses proforma 2024-25 (Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught) (.pdf)
- Annual Review of Courses proforma 2024-25 (Postgraduate Research) (.pdf)
- Guidance and proformas for partner institutions completing the Annual Review of Courses
For UG/PGT, the QUAD team can provide further guidance.
Pro-formas for all levels of provision are provided, but please use the templates pre-populated for each Department on Box. Departments will be provided specific links to their templates over the summer/autumn term each year,
For PGR, the Postgraduate Research Education team can also provide guidance.
