NCUK Academic Programmes

21st November 2017

Dr Gareth Evans, Academic DirectorRuth Jones, Head of PlacementKasia Cakala, University Partnerships ManagerDan Whalley, Programme Development Manager

Agenda• Qualification Structure and Student Performance: Gareth Evans• Admission of students to Partner Universities: Ruth Jones• Progression Analysis, Student Performance at University: Gareth Evans• BREAK• Wider Progression Options: Kasia Cakala and Ruth Jones• Qualification Comparisons: 3 Work Groups, choose one

– IFY: Gareth Evans and Maria McKenna– IYOne: Suraiya Arshad, Georgina Jones and Ruth Jones– PMP: Amy Rose Cauley, Andrew Straughan, Dan Whalley

• Development Plans: Dan Whalley• LUNCH

Qualification Structure and Student Performance21st November 2017

Dr Gareth Evans, Academic Director

Qualification Structure and Student Performance• English for Academic Purposes (EAP)• Three Programme Groups

– International Foundation Year (IFY)– International Year One (IYOne)– Pre-Masters Programme (PMP)

• We will present programme structure and academic performance for the three programme groups

English for Academic Purposes (EAP)• Recognised by NCUK’s partner

university for entry without further English language certification

• Offers made on an IELTS-equivalency basis– A = IELTS 7.0– B = IELTS 6.5– C = IELTS 6.0, etc

• Teaching duration varies by programme

• Not all students take EAP:– IFY alternatives:

• Research and Communication Skills

• EAP for Proficient Users– IYOne, where students hold

EAP or equivalent from earlier years’ study

International Foundation Year (IFY)

• Subjects are have outcomes ‘comparable with A-level’ (NARIC, 2014)• Graded like A levels: A*, A, B, C, D, E, U

• Taught over an academic year (30 weeks), at a minimum of 4 hours per week

May be replaced by RCS or EAAPU

IFY Subject Modules • Students can select any combination of modules, but using IFY streams makes better sense for progression

• Progression is greatly aided by using the appropriate version of Mathematics

• Art and Design can sit alongside any one or two modules– It’s available as

single or double length

IFY Entry Requirements• NCUK publishes a wide range of entry requirements from international

and national education systems– www.ncuk.ac.uk/ify-entry-requirements/

• In general, these specify the completion of high school with 12 years’ education

• However, there are variations by country and NCUK has started to accept students from international qualifications at lower levels– e.g. reduction of IGCSE entry grades and acceptance from MYP

• There may be restrictions on university progression for students with lower-level qualifications to some higher-tariff universities– NCUK is publishing guidance in this area indicating limitations

IFY Subject Performance 16/17Total score from 3 modules, where:A* = 56, A = 48, B = 40, C = 32, D = 24, E = 16

AAABBBCCCCDDDD

A*A*A*

0102030405060708090

100110120130140

0 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 88 96 104

112

120

128

136

144

152

160

168

IFY Points

All streams, 1320 students, for placement only

IFY EAP Performance

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

A* A B C D E U

EAP Overall Grade for IFY students, 1589 students

IFY Subject Performance – 3 years

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%0 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 88 96 104

112

120

128

136

144

152

160

168

14/15 15/16 16/17

Shows the proportion of the cohort gaining ≥ specified number of pointsVery sensitive to year on year change

AAABBBCCC

Subject Performance 16/17

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Maths (Engineering)

Maths (Business)

Further Maths

Society and Politics

Physics

Maths (Science)

Biology

International Relations

Chemistry

Economics

Business Studies

Shows mean mark for each moduleNote that the numbers vary greatly between modules (next slide) and that some are sensitive to particular delivery locations

Following new syllabus for 2015/16 there are have been few significant changes:• Further Maths

performance improved• Physics reduced a little

Subject Choices 2016/17International

Relations0%

Society and Politics2%

Maths (Science)4%

Biology4%Further Maths

5%

Govt. and Politics8%

Maths (Engineering)

9%

Physics9%

Chemistry9%

Business Studies13%

Maths (Business)17%

Economics20%

Students have 3 choices, so a module that is 10% here is taken by 30% of students

Excludes 2+2 students

International Year One (IYOne)IYOne Business

Accounting and Finance

Business Management

Events Management

IYOne Engineering

Electrical and Electronic

Mechanical and Manuf…

NCUKIFY

Other

University Year 2

University Year 3

Business8 modules plus EAP

Engineering10 modules plus EAP

University Year 4

IELTS 5.5equivalent

Bachelors Masters

International Year One Business

Each module is 15 credits, 4 modules per semester, examined wholly in the semester

International Year One Engineering

Each module is 12 credits, 5 modules per semester. Modules are fully examined in the semester.

Revised programme for 2017/18

IYOne Entry Requirements

• NCUK publishes a wide range of entry requirements from international and national education systems– //www.ncuk.ac.uk/ncuk-iyone-entry-requirements/

• In general, these specify that students would be ready to enter university, although base-level requirements are below normal university entry requirements– Enter from IFY or A-level 2Ds

• There may be restrictions on university progression for students with lower-level entry qualifications to some higher-tariff universities– NCUK is publishes guidance in this area indicating limitations

IYOne Performance Business

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

9 19 29 39 49 59 69 79 89

14/15 15/16 16/17

Pass Higher Tarriff

IYOne Performance Engineering

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

100.0%

9 19 29 39 49 59 69 79 89 99

14/15 15/16 16/17

Pass Higher Tarriff

Pre-Masters Programme (PMP)

EAP (10)

Orientation to Western Study (*)

Subject Module (6)

EAP (10)

Research Methods (7)

Subject Module (3)

EAP (10)

Research Methods (7)

Subject Module (3)

Route A Route A and B Route A and B

EAP (14)

Research Methods (5)

Subject Module (*)

Route C

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3

• PMP Route A (3 terms)• Honours degree or 3-year

diploma• IELTS 5.0 or equivalent

• PMP Route B (2 terms)• Honours degree • IELTS 5.5 or equivalent

• PMP Route C (1 term)• Honours degree • IELTS 5.5 or equivalent

• Assessed modules in red, formative modules in black

• Programme can be delivered very flexibly provided that learning outcomes are met

PMP Entry Requirements

• The programme is designed for holders of degrees that are recognised by UK universities, the degrees are expected to be taught in languages other than English– The NCUK PMP has a large EAP component

• Holders of 3-year diplomas may enter the Route A programme• Progression to university is highly dependent of the degree that the

student hold when entering the PMP– There are some chances for modest upgrade which depend on

performance on the PMP, but these are a reasonably small number• It is strongly recommended that applicants to the PMP are routed

through the NCUK Non-Standard Entry service

PMP Research Methods Performance

0102030405060708090

100

9 19 29 39 49 59 69 79 89

PMP Route A PMP Route B PMP Route C

Pass Credit Distinction

192 Students

PMP EAP Performance

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

A* A B C D E

192 Students

Applications and Placements

21st November 2017

Ruth Jones, Head of Placement

Applications and Placements

• Applications for IFY and PMP– Where do students apply?– Who do they choose as firm choice (CF)?– Who do they choose as insurance choice (CI)?– How does clearing work for students?

• Placement data for all programmes– Where do student get placed?– How did they get there?

• Trends and observations

IFY Applications and Choices

• The data presented here considers all IFY centres with one, large UK-based centre removed where necessary – The volume of the applications from this centre and choices made by

their students would overly influence the data presented here• NCUK suggests that students make 3 applications, 2 fewer than the

number permitted by UCAS– There are good reasons for thisSome students make more applications and with course change offers made by universities a student may make as many as 10 distinct applications, although the average number is around 3.4

IFY Applications made to University

4310 applications made to partner universities

IFY Offer Rate by University

Includes all centres, proportion of applications resulting in a conditional offer

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

L C G O E I H N D M P F A B K J

Offer Rate 16/17

IFY Firm and Insurance Choices

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

D A L O H E K G N I J P C M F B

CF CI

Firm (CF) Insurance (CI)

Clearing

• When students fails to meet the firm and condition offers they hold, NCUK will inform partner universities for which the student meets or nearly meets the universities’ offers for programmes

• The university evaluates the students’ results and may make an unconditional offer for one or more programmes

• Students receive the offers when they get their results• In 2107/18, 121 IFY students received places through clearing

IFY Partner Placements

PMP Applications Made to University

Includes all centres, 202 students

PMP Offer Rate by University

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

C B N J I L G F E O P H A K D M

Offer Rate PMP

PMP Firm and Insurance

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

A H D L K I O N J F G E P M C B

PMP CF CI

CF CI

PMP Partner Placements

IYOne Partner Placements

283 students

Progression Analysis: Student Performance and University21st November 2017

Dr Gareth Evans, Academic Director

Progression• How well do students perform when they arrive at university?• NCUK tracks the performance of students at partner universities by

obtaining results of students in all years• This information is used to:

– Ensure that the NCUK programmes meet the needs of students and receiving universities

– Look at inter-centre variation– Monitor year-on-year performance to determine whether there are

shifts in quality• Interested in all years of performance, although NCUK is primarily driven

by the first year of study at university• Annual report is published for universities and centres

IFY Final Year Performance 2016

10%

40%

31%

9%

5%1%

3%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

Data for all universities who responded (15)Students entered university in 2013

IFY First Year Performance 2016Cohort Average % Pass % Fail % Withdrawn

2008 55 81 16 3

2009 54 90 9 2

2010 55 88 10 2

2011 55 89 10 1

2012 57 91 7 1

2013 57 91 5 4

2014 55 92 5 3

2015 56 91 7 2

Data for all universities who responded (15)Students entered university in 2016

IYOne Final Year Performance 2016

8%

40% 41%

6%2% 2% 2%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

% o

f S

tud

en

ts

Outcome

Data for all universities who responded (15)Students entered university in 2014

IYOne Second Year Performance 2016Cohort Average % Pass % Fail % Withdrawn

2008 54 96 4 02009 57 90 9 1

2010 58 99 1 02011 56 93 4 3

2012 57 94 3 32013 58 94 4 2

2014 56 96 3 12015 59 98 1 1

Data for all universities who responded (15)Students entered university in 2015

PMP Performance 2016

4%

36%

53%

3%5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Distinction Merit Pass PgD Fail/Withdrawn

% o

f S

tud

en

ts

Data for all universities who responded (15)Students entered university in 2015

Note: Not all universities award a Merit grade

Wider Progression

21st November 2017

Kasia Cakala, University Partnerships ManagerRuth Jones, Head of Placement

Qualifications Comparisons

21st November 2017

IFYGareth Evans & Maris McKennaIYOneSuraiya Arshad, Georgina Jones & Ruth JonesPMPAmy Rose Cauley, Andrew Straughn, Dan Whalley

Development Plans

21st November 2017

Dan Whalley, Product Development Manager

Pre-IFY

• Primarily designed to help students improve English to get up to IELTS 5.0 required for entry to IFY

• Not a replacement for ‘normal’ academic entry qualifications

• Suite of modules available:– Pre-EAP– Pre-IFY Maths– Introduction to Western Culture– Introductory subject module (Business/Engineering/Science)– IT

Pre-IFY

• Programme can be used flexibly:– Can be delivered full or part-time– Can be used alongside a high school programme

• Pre-EAP must be taught in full• Other modules can be used flexibly:

– Choose which modules to deliver based on student needs– Choose how many hours per week of each module– Pick and choose topics/blocks as you see fit

Pre-IFY• None of the modules are formally assessed by NCUK• None of the modules contribute to the student’s IFY outcome

• Pre-EAP can be assessed by Password test – for entry to IFY• Pre-IFY Maths can be tested by NCUK’s provided examination – for

entry to IFY (may be tested by Password Maths test in future – TBC)

• All other modules can be assessed formatively by the centre

• Major focus should be English language – getting students up to the correct level for IFY

IFY – Development in 17/18• Three main areas of development1. General module reviews of Chemistry and Economics

– Issues raised by centres– Full review of module content

2. Additional teacher and student support materials– To be piloted with Business Studies and Economics– (more information on following slides)

3. Rescheduling of assessments– To be piloted with Business Studies and Economics– (more information on following slides)

IFY – Development in 17/18• Additional teacher and student support materials

• NCUK Syllabuses indicate what is to be taught but not how to teach• A Teacher’s Guide will

– Provide teachers with guidance on delivery– Especially in developing higher-order skills (analysis & evaluation),

which are vital to meet assessment outcomes• A Student Workbook will

– Support the teacher’s guide with formative exercises and assessments which develop the higher order skills

• Digital delivery will be investigated for both

IFY – Development in 17/18

• To be trialled with Business Studies and Economics initially

• Teachers Guide and Student Workbook to be developed in 17/18 for use in 18/19

• To be reviewed and feedback gathered from centres/teachers with a view to rolling out across all modules in the future

• NCUK will formally consult on this development in the next month or so

IFY – Development in 17/18

• Rescheduling of Assessments• To be trialled with Business Studies and Economics initially

IFY – Development in 17/18• Potential advantages of rescheduling assessments:

– Reduced assessment burden gives more time for teaching– Allows more flexibility in timetabling – removes need to hit EoS1

dates– Students can improve English language skills before tackling

summative assessment

• Potential disadvantages:– Lack of intermediate assessment point – NCUK will set formative

assessments to combat– Reduced student motivation in Semester 1

IFY – Development in 17/18

• All of the developments discussed will be undertaken in 17/18 for delivery in 18/19

• All new syllabus materials available to centres on 31st May 2018

IYOne

• Full review of Engineering routes completed in 16/17, updated programme now being delivered

• Partial review of Business routes completed in 16/17 but further improvements required before release

• Updated Business routes to be released for teaching in 18/19

IYOne

• Main focuses of further work on Business streams:– Minimising student overload– Addressing issues with specific modules, particularly Accounting

related– Standardising exam formats across modules– Linking learning outcomes more explicitly with assessments

• All new syllabus materials available to centres on 31st May 2018

PMP• Existing programme works well for a small subset of students

– Studied in a local language– Already meet the academic requirements of the accepting university– But need English language certification and can see the benefit of

Research Methods and study skills work

• The existing PMP will undergo a full review:– The existing structure will remain– Research Methods module will be reviewed to make it more

adaptable to a wider range of subjects– Subjects currently offered – Management/Life Sciences/Public Health,

opportunity in the future to add more

PMP• The existing PMP potentially misses out some student markets

• We are therefore looking to develop two additional courses

• Shorter Programme / Pre-sessional – Designed for students who have studied in English but require an

English language qualification for visa purposes e.g. Nigeria

PMP

• PMP with GPA Uplift– Designed for students with the equivalent of a 3rd class degree (or

professional qualifications) who ordinarily wouldn’t have access to a UK Masters

– EAP + Research Methods + Assessed subject content– Will have to be developed in conjunction with a single university,

probably a lower-tariff university– Likely to route to a limited number of Masters programmes (maybe a

single one)– Likely to be Business-related

Conclusion

21st November 2017

Dr Gareth Evans, Academic Director

Key Academic Contents• Programme Development and Review:

– Dan Whalley (dan.whalley@ncuk.ac.uk)• University Applications and placement

– Ruth Jones (ruth.jones@ncuk.ac.uk)• Assessments, timetables, registration, certification, etc

– Suraiya Arshad (suraiya@ncuk.ac.uk)• Academic quality, audits, annual reports,

– Jane Sutton (jane.sutton@ncuk.ac.uk)• EAP

– Katalin Egri Ku-Mesu (katalin.egri.ku-mesu@ncuk.ac.uk)• Academic Support

– Aynsley Moore (anysley.moore@ncuk.ac.uk)