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  1. Common Awards Team 
  2. Upcoming Deadlines 
  3. Durham University Board of Examiners (Overarching)
  4. Conversion of Marks
  5. Common Awards Student Survey
  6. 2021/22 ASEs
  7. 2022/23 Calendar
  8. IT Accounts for New Staff
  9. Staffing Update

 

1. Common Awards Team

Please note that the Common Awards administrative team may be less responsive than usual from 27th June – 8th July. During this period members of the team will be involved in marshalling at the University congregation ceremonies (which run for two weeks this year), helping to run the Theological Educator’s Conference in Leicester, and also involved in interviews. Please bear with us and we will respond to queries as soon as we are able to.  

2. Upcoming Deadlines

15th July – Deadline for CIS account holders to complete extension request  

2nd August - Deadline: TEIs to submit Common Awards Management Committee membership lists and quoracy arrangements, as well as dates for upcoming CAMCs 

2nd August: Deadline: TEIs to submit T9 (Staffing List) for 2022/23 academic year 

2nd August: Deadline: TEIs to submit Common Awards policies, to include the following:  

  • Admissions   
  • Accreditation of Prior Learning   
  • Academic Progress Notice   
  • Academic misconduct   
  • Complaints and Appeals   
  • Overlength work   
  • Placements   
  • Research Ethics (and misconduct) 

3. Board of Examiners (Overarching)

In preparation for upcoming TEI Boards of Examiners meetings, please see below list of documentation/data reports required by the University following each Board: 

  • confirmed module marks for completing students registered on Common Awards programmes (see our guidance on submitting module marks) within 48 hours - report V4 DU - Marks List - 48hr in Moodle; 
  • Moodle marksheets for students recommended to the Overarching Board of Examiners within 48 hours; 
  • outcomes of the scrutiny of SACs applications (see our guidance on SACs on the website for more information); 
  • minutes of TEI Boards of Examiners within 2 weeks of the date of the meeting - please use the updated TEI Board of Examiners agenda and minutes templates for 2021-22 on the Templates and Forms page of our website.   

As there is no Covid-19 safety net policy for 2021-22, TEIs will not be expected to undertake any additional Covid-19 related analysis or provide any Covid-19 related data for modules and assessments taken in 2021-22. However if the TEI Board will be considering any marks for assessments taken in 2020-21 please follow the 2020/21 ‘Academic Safety Net process’ as indicated in the template agenda. Please contact the Common Awards Team if you have any questions about this, or wish to go over any details before your Boards. 

Confirmed module marks for continuing students (Moodle report V4 January marks ALL Boards) should be returned in January 2023, following all TEI Boards (Deadline: 28th January 2023). 

4. Conversion of Marks

Ahead of the Board of Examiners, we would like to remind TEIs of the principles surrounding the conversion of marks.

Some assignments, like language tests, might produce quantitative scores. Those scores are not the marks for that assignment. In principle, they will always need to go through some process of conversion – where conversion involves making qualitative judgments about what is meant by different levels of achievement in a quantitatively scored test, and then translating those qualitative judgments into numerical marks in the normal way. 

Further information on Converting Test Scores into Marks is available on our website.

5. Common Award Student Survey 2022

Whilst the overall response rate for the 2022 Student Survey was lower than for previous years, (a trend which has been evident in other national surveys), we are pleased to report that the overall satisfaction rate for Common Awards students remains very high. 85.51% of students agreed that they are satisfied with the quality of their course - an increase in approximately 2% from 2021. Data sets and analysis has now been shared with individual TEIs, but please let the team know if you have any queries relating to this.  

6. 2021/22 Annual Self Evaluation reports

TEIs undertake a single process for reviewing, reflecting and reporting on their provision which covers both the requirements for Durham and the Ministry Development Team. This process is undertaken annually and is known as ‘Annual Self Evaluation’ or ‘ASE’.  Further information on Annual Self Evaluations is available here 

Following the receipt of submissions, a virtual meeting between TEIs and their University Liaison Officer (ULO) will be organised to discuss their content. These discussions form the basis of the annual reports authored by ULOs and the Common Awards team.   

Please note that for the Annual Self Evaluation cycle in 2022/23, the virtual meeting between TEIs and their ULO will also consider and discuss TEI action plans generated in response to the From Lament to Action report.  

The ASE form is in two inter-related parts; please see our Templates and Forms page to download the 2021/22 form. 

7. 2022/23 Calendar

The Common Awards calendar for the academic year 2022/23 is now available here. 

8. IT Accounts for New Staff

Information will be sent to TEI contacts within the first two weeks of July regarding how staff new to Common Awards, or those without an account, can apply for one. New accounts will only be activated from 1st September 2022 and not before this date. Thank you for your patience.

9. Staffing Update

Recruitment to replace Leaona Clarkson is still ongoing and we will update TEIs once an appointment has been made.  

 

With thanks,

The Common Awards Team