Skip to main content

Module Descriptor Template

Each programme and module must be governed by a completed Programme Specification or Module Descriptor that is readily available to students and other stakeholders. Provision of information in this form is expected by the Quality Assurance Agency. These documents also serve a host of functions, which are important both within and beyond the University.

Guidance for completion of the Current Module Descriptor Template.

Purpose:

To indicate the scope and content of the module. The title will be adopted in official publications including; the Calendar, the prospectus, the ECTS Guide, student transcripts, externally-facing webpages, the Study Information site and other locations. 

Re-named versions of existing modules must always have a new module code. If the title changes without changing the code, then the module of study is retrospectively altered for all students, leading to inaccurate information being held and produced. Student transcripts are generated from module codes.

 

Format:

The module title is normally 50 characters or less so that it can be accommodated on student transcripts.

Purpose:

A quantified means of expressing equivalence of learning where 1 credit is equivalent to 10 hours of study.

Format:

A number, normally to correspond with:

  • The 15/30 credit framework (excluding dissertations) for PG modules
  • Any multiple of 5 for UG modules

 

Extra guidance:

Modules with equivalent learning outcomes will have equivalent credit value, even if the supporting teaching/learning activities differ. One credit equals ten nominal hours of study. Therefore, the figure in this section must be a tenth of the total student study time. The minimum value for a module is 5 (or 15 for a PG module).

Please note that if you are amending the credit value for a module, you must also acquire a new module code* to distinguish it from the old module. Transcripts are generated from module codes. If the credit value changes without changing the code, then the module of study is retrospectively altered for all students, leading to inaccurate information being held and produced.

*Please note that changes to a module code may also require amendments to programmes on which the module features. Please contact the relevant Faculty-facing PDQE team for guidance. 

Purpose:

Every module must have a unique identifying code. Where a module has been amended, it will require a new module code to distinguish it from the previous module set-up*.

Format:

Comprises the discipline prefix (e.g. PSY, LAW) followed by four characters. The first of these denotes the module level (i.e. 1, 2, 3 and always a letter for postgraduate modules i.e. M) and the remaining three for identification (always numbers). Each code must be unique and not repeat a previously used one. A suffix can be used to distinguish modules that are entirely equivalent except for their mode of delivery (e.g. GEO2307A Physical Geography Iceland Field Trip, GEO2307B Physical Geography Brazil Field Trip).

Module codes will be obtained by your Faculty-facing Programme Development and Quality Enhancement Team when the new/amended module has been approved. Please direct any queries to the relevant Faculty-facingPDQE team.

 

Examples:

PSY1001 (Psychology level 1 module)

PSYM001 (Psychology masters module)

*Please note that changes to a module code may also require amendments to programmes on which the module features. Please contact the relevant Faculty-facing PDQE team for guidance.

Purpose:

Identify the member of staff responsible for the design and delivery of the module.

Format:

Full name of the academic member of staff responsible.

Example:

Dr John Smith

Purpose:

To indicate the time-span of the module’s teaching and learning activities.

Format:

A number, representing a time-span in units of weeks and terms.

Examples:

12 weeks across 2 terms

Extra guidance:

Usually, the duration indicates the span of teaching and learning activities that takes place in term-time. For example, it is not necessary for the duration to indicate the time-span between the start of the module and the final assessment. It is usual to specify the duration as one term when the module runs in the first term and the examinations are in the summer.

Purpose:

To indicate the anticipated number of students that are likely to take the module in any one period of study. This assists administrative staff with the provision of learning and teaching activities and timetabling, indicates student- staff ratios and assists with the arrangements for assessment.

Examples:

45

Purpose:

To provide an outline of the module, describing the distinctive features of the module and identifying any unique activities or opportunities. This section must include any pre-requisite or co-requisite modules that are required as well as any skills, knowledge or experience that students are expected to have in advance in order to complete the module successfully.

Format:

Free text written to the student (i.e. “You will”) in language that is student friendly, as well as enticing, in order to attract students to the module.

Examples:

Stereotypes and stereotyping are pervasive features of social life. Research within social psychology has made some fascinating discoveries about the origins of stereotypes, why we use them and the factors that moderate their influence. In this module you will focus on the many ways in which stereotypes have been studied, starting with the early research on content (what is in a stereotype?), to more recent work on process (how is such information organised and represented mentally?), to judgements and behaviours (how do these mental representations spill over into our attitudes/beliefs about and behaviour towards members of stereotyped groups?). Through this module you will further develop your understanding in this intriguing area, building upon basic social cognition concepts encountered in Social Psychology II.

Purpose:

What are the overall aims of your module? This section of the module provides a real opportunity for the subject team members to reflect on and share their philosophy, beliefs and values.  Module aims may be inspirational and aspirational and some aims may be so generic that they can be demonstrated and evaluated throughout the student experience.

It’s best to avoid a re-packaging of the more detailed intended learning outcomes which come in the next section and which will need explicitly to be assessed. Aims should give students a short description of the teaching intentions for the module.

It is important that you include details about how the programme will deliver key aspects of the Education Strategy, such as: graduate attributes, employability, research-inspired, inquiry-led learning and discovery and technology enhanced learning. 

Example:

The main objective of the module is to provide you with specialised knowledge and critical understanding of the most widely used brain-imaging technologies. An important aim of the seminars are to develop a thorough understanding of the bio-physical principles underlying imaging techniques, and also to provide you with specialised knowledge about a variety of psychological domains in which they are employed. The seminars will not just focus on research applications - there will be an equally strong emphasis on clinical applications of brain-imaging. A comparative approach will be used, with attention drawn to both advantages and drawbacks of different imaging modalities.

This module is expected to improve your employment prospects in at least three ways. First, brain imaging data are increasingly permeating various professions/activities (from healthcare to education to marketing), as well as the media and policy making. Because the module provides you with in-depth knowledge on brain measurement and stimulation techniques, you will be well equipped to understand and interpret brain data.

Second, to make sense of complex brain measurements, one needs to grasp fundamental aspects of the logic of scientific inference (why the data mean what they mean?) and principles of statistical analysis (how confident are we that the data mean what they mean?). These fundamental principles are general to most or all scientific disciplines – thus by promoting them, the module will educate you to interpret/evaluate scientific evidence in general.

Third, the module contains various forms of assessment: summative (essay, written examination, group presentation) and formative (bullet-point essays, in-class quizzes, computer-based analysis of imaging data), which tap into and develop distinct transferable skills: scientific writing, identifying and reviewing the relevant literature; learning to use novel software; extracting the most relevant content and expressing it in brief form; working as part of a group, communicating complex data to an audience in an accessible form.

9.1 Purpose
9.2 Verbs for Specifying Clear Learning Outcomes
9.3 Level of skills
9.4 Intended Learning Outcome Sections
9.5 Intended Learning Outcomes and Assessment
9.6 Intended Learning Outcome Problems

 

9.1 Purpose

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) are student-centred and describe your intentions for your students’ learning at the level of the module. They specify what students should know and be able to do by the end of the module. Generally speaking it is unlikely that there will be more than six ILOs per module, though there may be exceptions when more ILOs are justified pedagogically. 

Learning outcomes are prefaced by the phrase, 'On completion of the module, students will be able to …' and are followed by a verb. The verbs used for module outcomes need to be specific, because outcomes need to be measurable, and appropriate to the level of the module.

Assessment provides the evidence that students have achieved the specified learning outcomes. It is therefore best not to use words such as ‘understand’ (‘explain’ is preferable) or ‘be knowledgeable about’ which are difficult to pin down and cannot be clearly identified through assessment.



9.2 Verbs for specifying clear learning outcomes

1. Activities giving evidence of knowing
Define, describe, identify, label, list, name, outline, recall, select, state, present, extract, organise, recount, write, recognise, measure, repeat, relate, know
2. Activities giving evidence of comprehension
Interpret, translate, estimate, justify, convert, clarify, defend, distinguish, explain, extend, generalise, exemplify, give examples of, infer, paraphrase, predict, rewrite, summarise, discuss, perform, report, present, restate, identify, illustrate, indicate, find, select, represent, name, formulate, judge, contrast, translate, classify, express, compare
 3. Activities giving evidence of application
Apply, solve, construct, demonstrate, change, compute, discover, manipulate, modify, operate, predict, prepare, produce, relate, show, use, give examples, exemplify, draw (up), select, explain how, find, choose, assess, practice, operate, illustrate, verify
4. Activities giving evidence of analysis
Recognise, distinguish between, evaluate, analyse, break down, differentiate, identify, illustrate how, infer, outline, point out, relate, select, separate, divide, subdivide, compare, contrast, justify, resolve, devote, examine, conclude, criticise, question, diagnose, identify, categorise, point out, elucidate
5. Activities giving evidence of synthesis
Propose, present, structure, integrate, formulate, teach, develop, combine, compile, compose, create, devise, design, explain, generate, modify, organise, plan, re-arrange, reconstruct, relate, reorganise, revise, write, summarise, tell, account for, restate, report, alter, argue, order, select, manage, generalise, précis, derive, conclude, build up, engender, synthesise, put together, suggest, enlarge
6. Activities giving evidence of evaluation
Judge, appraise, assess, conclude, compare, contrast, describe how, criticise, discriminate, justify, defend, evaluate, rate, determine, choose, value, question


9.3 Level of skills

Make sure that ILOs are pitched at the same level as the module.  At Level 7 you should use words which make clear the level of complexity expected from students on Masters courses. For example, 'knowledge' can be remembered fact, but at Masters level students should be able to use and appraise knowledge, theory and methodology in a critical, evaluative, analytical and exploratory way.  

The components and language of ILOs

A well-written ILO normally contains the following three components:

  1. A word or words to indicate what the student will have attained.
  2. A word or words to qualify the level of attainment.
  3. A verb that indicates how the student will manifest the attainment.

Consider this learning outcome

‘By the end of the module, you should be able to describe in detail the influence of social context on the set text.’

  1. The attainment is ‘describe in detail the influence of social context on the set text’.
  2. The level of attainment is ‘in detail’.
  3. The verb is: 'describe'.


9.4 Intended Learning Outcome Sections

In the module descriptor ILOs are classified in the following three sections:


Module Specific Skills and Knowledge

These ILOs identify the skills and knowledge particular to the module that are not seen as a normal expectation in a student of the discipline e.g. not all historians need to have a detailed knowledge of the Victorian era and the techniques required for studying it.  These ILOs typically refer to abilities in demonstrating specialist knowledge and methods. Module Specific Skills and Knowledge ILOs are usually written by the module convenor.

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge

These ILOs identify skills and knowledge normally expected in all students of the discipline. These ILOs may have been written by the discipline staff and the module convenor may then select the ILOs that are addressed by the module.

Personal and Key Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge

These ILOs identify the skills and knowledge developed in the module that can be applied outside of the discipline, as well as outside of the learning environment. These are the most broad-based and generic skills, which add value to the student. These should link to the Education Strategy
 



9.5 Intended Learning Outcomes and Assessment

The award of credit for a module implies that all the module’s intended learning outcomes (ILOs) have been met. ILOs must be capable of being assessed and a range of assessment methods, including formative and summative assessments, should be used to ensure that all ILOs are assessed. You should design assessments so that students can see that they will be tested on each ILO.

Each of a module’s ILOs implies training and feedback. A module must support students in attaining each ILO and the student should be able to judge the extent of their attainment at the end of the module by the feedback you provide. Feedback may be given by evaluative indicators that either count towards the overall mark (summative assessment) or by those that do not (formative assessment).


Further guidance and resources for designing assessment and feedback can be found here. This includes the RADAR toolkit, which is a collection of Resources for Assessment Design, Alignment and Review.



9.6 Intended Learning Outcome Problems


1. Omission of level of attainment

The Intended Learning Outcome must make clear the level of learning that students are expected to be able to achieve by the end of the module. This is essential information for students, staff and reviewers of academic standards. The omission of a level qualifier occurs most often in ILOs in the Personal and Key Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge section, which might for example specify ‘be able to use computer-based learning resources’ for modules at all levels.

It is far better to write the ILO as follows:

Level 4: ‘Use a computer-based learning resource competently’

Level 5: ‘Use some computer-based learning resources competently’

Level 6: ‘Use a range of computer-based learning resources effectively’

Level 7 (Masters): 'Use a full range of computer-based learning resources effectively and independently’


2. Failure to specify level of attainment by use of relative terms

The use of the following, ‘will demonstrate an increased ability to analyse textual material’ makes the level of learning unclear because the increment can build from any initial baseline – increased ability relative to what? Therefore, avoid relative terms.


3. ILO mistakenly refers to learning and not its manifestation

An illustration is: 'At the end of the module, the student should be able to understand the health and safety practices of laboratory work'.  However you need to be able to assess the representation of learning, not the student’s attributes. In order to show how this is done, ILOs should indicate the nature of the representation. A better formulation of the ILO above is: 'At the end of the module, the student should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of health and safety practices of laboratory work in their practical work '.


4. ILOs written as a statement of teaching intention.

ILOs describe what the successful student is expected to be able do at the end of the module. ILOs are not statements about the module, its content, or the learning environment, which should be described in the module’s aims.

Skills and Knowledge


M
odule Specific Skills and Knowledge

These ILOs identify the skills and knowledge particular to the module that are not seen as a normal expectation in a student of the discipline e.g. not all historians need to have a detailed knowledge of the Victorian era and the techniques required for studying it.  These ILOs typically refer to abilities in demonstrating specialist knowledge and methods. Module Specific Skills and Knowledge are usually written by the module convenor.

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge

These ILOs identify skills and knowledge normally expected in all students of the discipline. These ILOs may have been written by the discipline staff and the module convenor may then select the ILOs that are addressed by the module.

Personal and Key Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge

These ILOs identify the skills and knowledge developed in the module that can be applied outside of the discipline, as well as outside of the learning environment. These are the most broad-based and generic skills, which add value to the student. It is important that you include details about how the programme will deliver key aspects of the Education Strategy, such as graduate attributes and employability.
 

Level of skills

Make sure that ILOs are pitched at the same level as the module.  At Level 7 you should use words which make clear the level of complexity expected from students on Masters courses. For example, 'knowledge' can be remembered fact, but at Masters level students should be able to use and appraise knowledge, theory and methodology in a critical, evaluative, analytical and exploratory way.  ILOs should reflect this.  Full details can be found in the TQA in Guidance notes to ILOs and in the Levels and Awards Framework.

The components and language of ILOs

A well-written ILO normally contains the following three components:

  1. A word or words to indicate what the student will have attained.
  2. A word or words to qualify the level of attainment.
  3. A verb that indicates how the student will manifest the attainment.

 

Consider this learning outcome

‘By the end of the module, you should be able to describe in detail the influence of social context on the set text.’

The attainment is ‘describe in detail the influence of social context on the set text’.

The level of attainment is ‘in detail’.

The verb is: 'describe'.

1. Omission of level of attainment

The Intended Learning Outcome must make clear the level of learning that students are expected to be able to achieve by the end of the module. This is essential information for students, staff and reviewers of academic standards. The omission of a level qualifier occurs most often in ILOs in the Personal and Key Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge section, which might for example specify ‘be able to use computer-based learning resources’ for modules at all levels.

It is far better to write the ILO as follows:

Level 1: ‘Use a computer-based learning resource competently’

Level 2: ‘Use some computer-based learning resources competently’

Level 3: ‘Use a range of computer-based learning resources effectively’

Level M: 'Use a full range of computer-based learning resources effectively and independently’

2. Failure to specify level of attainment by use of relative terms

The use of the following, ‘will demonstrate an increased ability to analyse textual material’ makes the level of learning unclear because the increment can build from any initial baseline – increased ability relative to what? Therefore, avoid relative terms.

3. ILO mistakenly refers to learning and not its manifestation

An illustration is: 'At the end of the module, the student should be able to understand the health and safety practices of laboratory work'.  However you need to be able to assess the representation of learning, not the student’s attributes. In order to show how this is done, ILOs should indicate the nature of the representation. A better formulation of the ILO above is: 'At the end of the module, the student should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of health and safety practices of laboratory work in their practical work '.

4. ILOs written as a statement of teaching intention.

ILOs describe what the successful student is expected to be able do at the end of the module. ILOs are not statements about the module, its content, or the learning environment, which should be described in the module’s aims.

The award of credit for a module implies that all the module’s intended learning outcomes (ILOs) have been met. ILOs must be capable of being assessed and a range of assessment methods, including formative and summative assessments, should be used to ensure that all ILOs are assessed. You should design assessments so that students can see that they will be tested on each ILO.

Each of a module’s ILOs implies training and feedback. A module must support students in attaining each ILO and the student should be able to judge the extent of their attainment at the end of the module by the feedback you provide. Feedback may be given by evaluative indicators that either count towards the overall mark (summative assessment) or by those that do not (formative assessment).

Further guidance and resources for designing assessment and feedback can be found here. This includes the RADAR toolkit, which is a collection of Resources for Assessment Design, Alignment and Review.

Purpose

To identify the topics covered in the module.

Format

The syllabus plan is a list of topics, which can be provided in chronological order of study. The list of topics can only be stated on a weekly basis where the provision arrangements can be guaranteed.

Examples:

A. Geography module

Introduction - Role and significance of tourism; Scope and nature of tourism; Approaches and themes in the geography of tourism.

Tourist behaviour and impact - Typologies of tourist travel; Tourist decision-making; Social access to tourism; Inequality in access; Relationships between hosts and guests; Tourism, culture and landscape; the end of tourism.

Structural changes in the Tourist Industry: the British case - The British tourist industry; Changes in the accommodation sector; Trends in the travel industry; Public policy and tourism; the resort cycle; the survival of traditional seaside resorts.

From Baltimore to Bradford: Urban Tourism and Development in Britain and N. America - Pleasure, leisure and jobs; The Baltimore story: developing new forms of urban tourism; Tourism and Britain’s inner cities.

Evaluating Visitor and Tourist Behaviour - Methodological problems in tourist research; Diary approaches and time budget analysis; Official data and its limitations; Assessing visitor behaviour within tourist attractions: theme parks and museums.

 

B. Theology module

  • Week 1:     Image and metaphor in language and theology: the theology of the Hebrew Bible (Dr A Bell)
  • Week 2:     Images of God, humanity, and the cosmos in the Hebrew Bible (Dr B Ware)
  • Week 3:     Theology of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament (Prof C Ling)
  • Week 4:     Theology of the Hebrew Bible and late modern/ post-modern thinking (Dr D Light)
  • Week 5:     Retrospect (Dr E Fuse)

 

Purpose:

To describe the learning activities of the students and the teaching methods of the staff. Effective module design should result in a varied range of active learning experiences for students, including learning activities which are ‘research-like’. Please see strategic aim three of the Education Strategy which relates to ‘Research-inspired, inquiry-led learning and discovery’.

Activities should, of course, motivate and encourage deep learning (reflection on wider meanings, rather than superficial memorisation of information). They should also be varied and flexible enough to accommodate different learning styles and orientations, and allow for inclusivity of students from different backgrounds and with different kinds of learning abilities.

Learning activities therefore need to include reference to independent, interdependent (peer- supported) and online activities, as well as participation in different kinds of taught class.

Format:

The University is required by the Office for Students to quantify learning and teaching activities in the following categories:

  • Scheduled learning and teaching activities – to include formative assessments
  • Guided independent study
  • Placement/ study abroad

In determining the proportion of time spent in each type of activity you should use the convention that one credit point equates to 10 learning hours. The time in scheduled learning and teaching activities and in placements will need to be accurately measured; the proportion in guided independent study will be derived as the number of hours remaining after taking in to account the hours spent in placements and scheduled learning and teaching activities.

In all cases the three values must add up to the total number of learning hours for that module.

Examples:

ECMM718 Dynamical Systems and Chaos (15 credits = 150 learning hours)

LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning &
Teaching Activities
50 hours Guided Independent
Study
100 hours Placement/Study
Abroad
0 hours
DETAILS OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS
Category Hours of Study Time Description
Scheduled Learning &
Teaching Activities
33 hours Lectures and practical classes
Scheduled Learning &
Teaching Activities
17 hours Group practical - practice sessions supervised by technician
Guided independent study 40 hours Writing up reports from practical sessions
Guided independent study 40 hours Reading and research
Guided independent study 20 hours Web-based activities


EAS1035 Beginnings: English Literature before 1800 (30 credits = 300 learning hours)

LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning & 
Teaching Activities
33 hours Guided Independent 
Study
267hours Placement/Study 
Abroad
0 hours
DETAILS OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS
Category Hours of Study Time Description
Scheduled Learning & 
Teaching Activities
11 hours Lectures
Scheduled Learning & 
Teaching Activities
22 hours Seminars - these will be led by the tutor. You will need to
prepare for each seminar and to present on a given topic in
groups of 3 on 2 occasions.
Guided independent study 100 hours Web-based activities located on ELE - preparation for
seminars and presentations
Guided independent study 167 hours Reading and preparation for seminars and presentations


SOC3040 Dissertation (60 credits = 600 learning hours)

LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning & 
Teaching Activities
21 hours Guided Independent 
Study
579 hours Placement/Study 
Abroad
0 hours
DETAILS OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS
Category Hours of Study Time Description
Scheduled Learning & 
Teaching Activities
9 hours Seminars focussing on researcher skills development
Scheduled Learning & 
Teaching Activities
12 hours

6 x 2 hr supervision meetings with your tutor who will mediate
the learning and teaching process through monthly progress
meetings.  You will devise a dissertation topic. You will then be
assigned an appropriate specialist member of staff as your
supervisor. Your supervisor will set targets and provide you with
feedback on a draft of your dissertation

Guided independent study 100 hours Research and produce literature review and research methodology
Guided independent study 100 hours Carry out research project and initial analysis
Guided independent study 300 hours Write final version of your dissertation


The QAA have compiled an indicative list of learning activities/ teaching methods and this has been used to indicate catagorisation of these methods. A detailed description of each of these can be found in appendix 2 of the QAA document on contact hours.

Activity type KIS category
Lecture Scheduled
Seminar Scheduled
Tutorial Scheduled
Project Supervision Scheduled
Demonstration Scheduled
Practical Classes and Workshops Scheduled
Supervised Time in Studio/Workshop Scheduled
Fieldwork Scheduled
External Visits Scheduled
Work Based Learning Scheduled
Guided Independent Study Independent
Placement Placement
Year Abroad Placement

Purpose:

To publicise the formal workload associated with the module (formative and summative); to demonstrate proper module design by specifying linkages between the student’s attainment of the module’s learning outcomes and the assessment components; to promote parity among modules of equivalent credit value.

Format:

You will need to complete the table provided in the module descriptor (see example below). This should include a list of the work that students will be expected to submit and the size (duration/length) of each assessment item specified. This section includes formative assessments which are assignments that do not count towards the final mark for the module. Summative items must indicate the percentage weighting of the final mark. For each assessment item, the assessed ILOs are identified by number and the feedback method is given.

Quantify assessment methods as a percentage in the categories of exams, coursework or practical exams. The sum of the three values must add up to 100%.

Further guidance and resources for designing assessment and feedback can be found here. This includes the RADAR toolkit, which is a collection of Resources for Assessment Design, Alignment and Review.

Example:

In determining the percentage of assessment in each category only summative assessments should be included.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT - for feedback and development purposes; does not count towards module grade
Form of Assessment Size of the assessment
e.g. duration/length
ILOs assessed Feedback method
3 out of the 6 tasks 400 words per task 1,4,5 Written
Online Test 30 minutes 1,3,4 On-line
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (% of credit)
Coursework 50% Written exams 50% Practical exams    
DETAILS OF SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Form of Assessment % of credit Size of the assessment
e.g. duration/length
ILOs assessed Feedback method
Coursework - portfolio of
tasks completed and
your reflections on these
50% 3,500 words 1,4,5,6,7 Written and oral
Written exam 50% 1 hour 1,2,3,4 Written


Note that peer assessment is not categorised as a separate assessment method. Rather notional credit associated with peer assessment should be included within the assessment type that the peers are assessing. For example, if peer assessment is of a presentation then this should be treated as a practical exam as presentations are treated as practical exams.

 A more detailed description of each of the below assessment methods can be found in appendix 3 of the QAA document on contact hours.

Activity Type KIS Category
Written Exam Written
Written Assignment, including Essays Coursework
Report Coursework
Dissertation Coursework
Portfolio Coursework
Project Output (other than dissertation) Coursework
Oral Assessment and Presentation Practical
Practical Skills Assessment Practical
Set Exercise Varies

Purpose

Re-assessment is the process by which failure or non-completion of assessment is handled through deferral or referral. This section should set out the provision and arrangements for re-assessment.

Information about setting re-assessments can be found in the Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA)  Manual Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. This includes information about referrals and deferrals

Format:

You should complete the table provided in the Module Descriptor as shown below.

Example:

DETAILS OF RE-ASSESSMENT (where required by referral of deferral)
Original form of
assessment
Form of re-assessment ILOs re-assessed Time scale for
re-assessment
Presentation of a paper (30%) 1,500 word essay 1-3,4,7,8 1st September deadline for 
submissions
2 hr exam (70%) 2 hr exam 3-6,8 August/September assessment
period

RE-ASSESSMENT NOTES

Two assessments are required for this module. Where you have been referred/deferred for the presentation, you will complete a written summary of your presentation. This will constitute 30% of the module (10 credits).

Where you have been referred/deferred for the exam, you will have the opportunity to take a second exam in the August/September re-assessment period. This will constitute 70% of the module (20 credits).

Purpose:

To publicise the key learning resources that are important or essential for those studying the module or to demonstrate the academic foundation of the module. To provide a short list, indicating the type and level of information that students are expected to consult. Further, in depth, guidance and a comprehensive list of reading and resources should be made available by the Module Convener on the Module’s Exeter Learning Environment (ELE) page.

Format:

Indicative basic reading list 

Normally a short list of books or articles in reference format (author, date, title, and publisher). If a core text or textbook exists, this should be indicated. Lists should be indicative, rather than a full bibliography.

A link should be included on the template to the Learning Resources Allocation Plan which must be agreed as part of the programme/module approval process.

All resources noted in the basic reading list must be readily and freely available.

Web based and electronic resources 

Normally a list of websites or software in reference format.

Other resources:

This could include items such as videos or other electronic resources.

Examples:

Basic reading:

  • Barba, Eugenio, The Dilated Body, Zeami Libri, 1985
  • Barba, Egenio, The Floating Islands, Holstebro , Denmark : Odin Teatret, 1979
  • Barba Eugenio, Beyond The Floating Islands, Holstebro , Denmark : Odin Teatret, 1986
  • Christoffersen, Erik Exe, The Actor's Way, New York & London : Routledge, 1993
  • Hodge, Alison, Twentieth Century Actor Training, New York & London : Routledge, 1999
  • Murray , Simon & Keefe, John, Physical Theatres: a critical introduction Simon Murray & John Keefe London & New York , Routledge 2007

ELE

  • College to provide hyperlink to the relevant section of the website

Web based and electronic resources

Other resources:

  • Videos: Castle of Holstebro , In The Beginning, Il Millione

Purpose:

A quantified means of expressing equivalence of learning where 1 credit is equivalent to 10 hours of study.

Format:

A number, normally to correspond with:

  • The 15/30 credit framework (excluding dissertations) for PG modules
  • Any multiple of 5 for UG modules

 

Extra guidance:

Modules with equivalent learning outcomes will have equivalent credit value, even if the supporting teaching/learning activities differ. One credit equals ten nominal hours of study. Therefore, the figure in this section must be a tenth of the total student study time. The minimum value for a module is 5 (or 15 for a PG module).

Please note that if you are amending the credit value for a module, you must also acquire a new module code* to distinguish it from the old module. Transcripts are generated from module codes. If the credit value changes without changing the code, then the module of study is retrospectively altered for all students, leading to inaccurate information being held and produced.

*Please note that changes to a module code may also require amendments to programmes on which the module features. Please contact the relevant Faculty-facing PDQE team for guidance.

Purpose:

The European Credit Transfer Scheme allows for the transfer of credit between European Universities. The ECTS value must be half of the Exeter credit value. This is applicable to all modules. Even if a programme is available only to a closed consortium, a student may wish to use ECTS credits they have gained at a later date.


Format:

A number - half the credit value.


Examples:

7.5 for a module worth 15 credits at Exeter.

Purpose

Pre-requisites are requirements for prior learning used in curriculum design to ensure progression or to produce pathways in a module portfolio.

Format

Normally, a list of one or more module codes (and titles, optionally) or the word ‘none’.

Examples

Pre-requisites for the BA Geography Dissertation module: GEO2325 Research Methods for Human Geography and GEO2326 Research Design in Human Geography.


Extra guidance

Normally, credits will have been awarded for a pre-requisite module before the current module is studied (in contrast to co-requisites). Therefore, pre-requisite modules usually are studied at a previous stage in a student’s programme. A student’s progression can be impeded when pre-requisites operate within a stage. The student may be judged unable to begin a module in Semester 2 if they have failed a pre-requisite module in Semester 1, even though referred exams for the failed module are pending. In this case, the student may be forced to interrupt their programme until the referred exam is passed.

A student joining a programme from another institution can elect to take a module with an Exeter module listed as a pre-requisite if they are judged by the Module Convenor and Programme Director to have obtained equivalent prior learning elsewhere.

In guiding students, pre-requisites are normally viewed as binding in order to prevent the student from electing to take a module for which they are not prepared.

Purpose

Co-requisites are requirements for concurrent or prior learning used in curriculum design to ensure coherence or progression in a module portfolio within a stage.

Format

Normally, a list of one or more module codes (and titles, optionally) or the word ‘none’.

Examples

Co-requisites in second year of the BA Geography programme: GEO2325 Research Methods for Human Geography and GEO2326 Research Design in Human Geography.

Extra Guidance

A student does not need to have been awarded credit for a co-requisite module before the current module can be studied (in contrast to pre-requisites).  Co-requisite modules are usually studied at the same stage in a student’s programme. Therefore, a student may study a module after having failed a co-requisite that was studied earlier in the same stage.

In guiding students, co-requisites are normally viewed as binding in order to prevent the student from electing a module for which they will lack concurrent or prior support.

Purpose 

To identify where the whole module may be taken by students at a distance, either by arrangement with the Programme Director or because it forms part of a programme that is wholly or partly delivered virtually. If distance learning is possible, a second module descriptor will need to be created, to identify learning, teaching, assessment and contact methods/support for students in the distance learning version of the module.

Format

‘YES’ or ‘NO’

Purpose

To specify the level at which the module’s learning outcomes are set according to the University’s  Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA) Manual Credit and Qualifications Framework.


Format

A number or letter/s from the RQF (Regulating Qualification Framework) level of award column in the Academic Credit Requirements for Award table.

Purpose

To identify when the module was created (for new modules) or when it was last revised (for amended modules).

Format

DD/MM/YYYY

Example

Origin Date 13/12/2023

Revised 31/01/2023


← ← back to main menu

Purpose

To identify which search terms a prospective or current student would use when searching for this and/or similar modules.  Identify any elements of the module or key words which may particularly appeal. This information can be used to help improve ranking in web searches or course searches.

Format

List of key search terms.

Example

History, early history, early modern, Celtic, Celts, Pagan, Gaelic, Britain, sectarian, iconoclastic, animalistic, idolatrous, unscriptural, factional, unorthodox, nonconforming, barbarous, non-Christian.