Senate minutes 1 March 2023

Minutes of the meeting of the Cardiff University Senate held on Wednesday 1 March 2023 at 14:15, via Zoom

Attendance

In Attendance

Katy Dale (minutes), Hannah Darnley, Laura Davies, Dr Rob Davies, Millicent Ele, Rhodri Evans, Emma Gore [Minute 1006], Professor Claire Gorrara, Tom Hay, Professor Wenguo Jiang, Professor Andrew Lawrence, Sue Midha, Professor Omer Rana, TJ Rawlinson, Dr Andrew Roberts, Claire Sanders, David Selway, Dr Henrietta Standley, Professor Amanda Tonks, Professor Jason Tucker, Professor Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, Simon Wright (Secretary), Darren Xiberras

998 Welcome and introductions

Noted

998.1 the Chair welcomed all to the meeting, especially the Council members (David Selway and Millicent Ele) attending as observers; the Chair wished all attendees a happy St David’s Day;

998.2 the Chair detailed the process for the meeting.

999 Apologies for absence

Noted

999.1 that apologies received would be recorded in the Minutes.

1000 Declaration of Interests

The Chair reminded members of their requirement to disclose any direct or indirect interests which could influence their judgement. Disclosure of interests should be made before an item was discussed and the individual concerned should either withdraw from the meeting or not take part in the discussion, as appropriate for that part of the agenda.

Noted

1000.1 that no member disclosed any interests.

1001 Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2022 (paper 22/422) were confirmed as a true and accurate record and were approved to be signed by the Chair.

1002 Matters arising

Noted there were no matters arising.

1003 Items from the Chair

Noted

1003.1  that following a ballot, Professor Rachel Ashworth had been appointed as the Senate member on the Bicameral Review Scoping Task and Finish Group; the constitution for the group was available in the meeting book under paper 22/378R.

1004 Appointment of the Vice-Chancellor’s successor

Received and considered paper 22/364HCR ‘Appointment of the Vice-Chancellor’s Successor’. The Vice-Chancellor spoke to this item.

Noted

1004.1  that the paper contained the details of the process followed to appoint the Vice-Chancellor’s successor;

1004.2  that the current Vice-Chancellor would facilitate the handover and it was expected the Vice-Chancellor designate would undertake a visit to the University before commencing in post.

1005 Vice-Chancellor’s Report

Received and considered paper 22/423C ‘Vice-Chancellor’s Report to Senate’. The Vice-Chancellor spoke to this item.

Noted

1005.1 that there had been developments in relation to strike action since the report was written and it was hoped negotiations would reach a mutually agreeable conclusion; further guidance on mitigation measures would be issued should strike action continue;

1005.2 that applications and offers continued to progress well;

1005.3 that the pipeline for research grants and awards was very positive;

1005.4 that the report contained a reference to the UK HR Excellence in Research Action Plan, which was available on the intranet.

1006 Research Integrity Action Plan

Received and considered paper 22/416 ‘Research Integrity Action Plan’. The Pro Vice-Chancellor Research, Innovation and Enterprise and Research Integrity and Governance Officer spoke to this item.

Noted

1006.1 that the University subscribed to the Universities UK Concordat for Research Integrity, which provided a frame of reference and benchmarking for activities in this area; the University had undertaken a self-assessment exercise to review compliance and identify possible enhancements, to support the research community in meeting the highest standards of integrity;

1006.2 that the paper reflected and celebrated the work undertaken in this area and achievements made since the first Concordat, to demonstrate the University as a leader in this area;

1006.3 the paper also contained a plan and framework for managing research integrity activity across the institution; this was broken down into six pillars, with responsibilities and timeframes clearly defined;

1006.4 that actions often had multiple owners, to instil a system of co-ownership and joint responsibility; this activity had also helped to map where support for research integrity could be found;

1006.5 that the next self-assessment exercise would be undertaken in 2026/27, at which point there would be a new version of the self-assessment tool; reflections would be undertaken and periodically reported to the Open Research Integrity and Ethics Committee and Governance Committee until that point;

1006.6 that the paper had been received by Governance Committee at its meeting on 28 February and was recommended for approval subject to the following amendments:

.1 to amend the action under Pillar 2 on tools for environmental sustainability to read “develop” rather than “explore”;

.2 to include information about the plan for engaging with School Research Directors;

1006.7 that performance metrics and expectations for research staff (along with the possible impact of this on research ethics) would fall under the broader remit of research culture and work being undertaken on this within the University; this element would be shared with the University’s Research Culture Development Group;

1006.8 that Directors of Research would have visibility of the paper and an opportunity to input;

1006.9 that the paper would be shared with Council for formal approval, and then communicated and disseminated once formally approved.

Emma Gore (Research Integrity and Governance Officer) left the meeting.

1007 Strategic Partnerships

Received and considered papers 22/424 ‘Strategic Partnership with University of Illinois (UI) system’, 22/425 ‘Strategic Partnership with University of Wyoming’ and 22/426 ‘Renewal of Strategic Partnership with the University of Campinas’. The Dean for International, College of Physical Sciences and Engineering spoke to this item.

Noted

1007.1 that benefits from these partnership would be multi-faceted and academic based, rather than solely intended for financial value;

1007.2 that the International Deans from each College were represented on the Management Committee for partnerships and it was noted these committees should include members with an education perspective (e.g. College Dean for Education);

1007.3 that it was intended to hold a meeting of the Cardiff Innovation Network with innovation agencies from the US and Brazil to explore possible future joint initiatives;

1007.4 that two partnerships were proposed with universities in the United States and the University had not had a partnership in this country to date; partnerships had been scoped in the US as the University took c.100 US students every year, placing the US in the top 5 overseas recruitment markets for the University, and as the number of US students within the UK was growing;

1007.5 the US was a strong strategic research collaborator country, with c.25,000 joint collaborative research awards in the last 5 years; this was around twice as much as the next highest collaborative country (France);

University of Wyoming

1007.6 that there was already engagement with the University of Wyoming across all levels of the University and scoping for further engagement within all Colleges had been undertaken;

1007.7 the University of Wyoming had a Field Centre National Park which aligned closely with the work of the University’s Danau Girang Field Centre; the centres had a similar approach but were based in very different environments and therefore it was not expected there would be competition for students, but instead collaborative working on areas such as climate change and sustainability and an ability to submit joint bids for funding;

1007.8 that the benefits of engaging centred on student engagement and research opportunities, alongside a possibility for engagement with other institutions in the US;

University of Illinois System

1007.9 that this University was bigger than the University of Wyoming, with 94,000 students spread over three campuses, each with a key focus;

1007.10 that there was a strong link between Illinois and Wales, due to the Welsh Government having an office in Chicago (where the University of Illinois was based) and the current President being born in Cardiff;

1007.11 the University had also been working with the Discovery Partners Institute since 2018, which was a research-led institute for the University of Illinois; this had helped develop the partnership with the University of Illinois and also other partners of the Discovery Partners Institute (e.g. the Argonne National Laboratory, with which the University had a student and staff exchange agreement, and Fermilab);

University of Campinas

1007.12 that the initial agreement had been signed in 2018 and the paper contained details of the work undertaken between the institutions to date, including 88 quoted papers published collaboratively since the agreement had been signed;

1007.13 that connections had continued with Campinas, despite the complications of Covid;

1007.14 the University of Campinas was ranked number two in Brazil and had a strong focus on sustainability;

1007.15 the paper recommended the partnership is renewed and work undertaken to broaden interactions and leverage on the partnerships built to date; the paper identified a convergence area within each college for more detailed collaboration on education, research and innovation.

Resolved

1007.16 to recommend to Council approval of:

.1  the strategic partnership with University of Illinois (UI) system;

.2  the strategic partnership with University of Wyoming;

.3  renewal of the strategic partnership with the University of Campinas.

1008 Recruitment and Admissions end of cycle report 2022/23 entry

Received and considered paper 22/427C ‘Recruitment and Admissions End of Cycle Report 2022-23 Entry’. The Director of Communications and Marketing spoke to this item.

Noted

Undergraduate (UG) Home

1008.1 [Redacted]

1008.2 [Redacted]

1008.3 [Redacted]

1008.4 [Redacted]

1008.5 [Redacted]

Postgraduate Taught (PG) Home

1008.6 [Redacted]

1008.7 [Redacted]

1008.8 [Redacted]

Undergraduate (UG) International

1008.9  [Redacted]

1008.10 [Redacted]

1008.11 [Redacted]

1008.12 [Redacted]

1008.13 [Redacted]

Postgraduate Taught (PG) International

1008.14 [Redacted]

1008.15 [Redacted]

1008.16 [Redacted]

1009 Academic Standards and Quality Committee report to Senate

Received paper 22/428 ‘Academic Standards and Quality (ASQC) Report’. The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience spoke to this item.

Noted

1009.1 that the paper included a recommendation on Academic Year dates for 2024/25, that had been based on existing principles;

1009.2 that the external examiners report continued to affirm the academic standards of the University, that they met the requirements of relevant national qualifications frameworks and that the degree outcomes were valid and reliable; work was being undertaken with schools on 2 concerns raised in this area;

1009.3 an update was provided on the internal audit of the management of in-year resists; the first phase had reviewed the results notification process for in-year resits and provided substantial assurance of the actions being taken in response to the Regulation 28 notice; the second phase assessed the operational effectiveness of the changes implemented and provided limited assurance, due to an inability to draw down specific information from key institutional systems; this will be resolved and reported back to Audit and Risk Committee;

1009.4 an internal audit report had been produced on the results notification process (the management of marks from assessment through to the student) due to a high number of errors on student transcripts and as highlighted in the Annual Quality Report in Autumn 2022; Academic Standards and Quality Committee had endorsed the management responses to the audit and would receive regular updates on progress; as this had received a limited assurance and was a significant risk to the University’s academic standards reputation, urgent action would be taken to address for 2022/23 examining boards and provide assurance to students that their marks were accurate;

1009.5 a Task and Finish Group would be established to scope work required to develop a consistent and controlled approach to results notification processes and review any cultural or process changes required;

1009.6 that an oversight group had been established to review work on assessment processing and management of examining boards within the Business School, alongside academic standards and quality of student experience; this was jointly chaired by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students and the Pro Vice-Chancellor for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Resolved

1009.7 to recommend to Council approval of the academic year dates for 2024/25.

1010 Education and Student Experience Committee report to Senate

Received paper 22/429 ‘Education and Student Experience Committee Report’. The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience spoke to this item.

Noted

1010.1 that a student voice framework had been developed, which detailed a holistic structure for student voice and student partnership activities within the University, including underlying principles, mechanisms available and roles and responsibilities of stakeholders; this was based on current operation and any changes to policy or regulation from this would be bought to Senate as necessary;

1010.2 that Education and Student Experience Committee had endorsed the Rethinking Assessment Group’s proposal for a strategic approach to enhancing assessment feedback, based on principles for the design of assessment and feedback, which would provide clear direction for taking this work forward; any changes to regulation or policy from this work would be bought to Senate as necessary;

1010.3 that work had been undertaken to improve education student data and the improvements in the quality and presentation of reports was positive; student characteristics were being embedded into data and analysis, rather than being seen as an “add-on” which was pleasing;

1010.4 that there had been good discussions and clarity on the measures, successes and monitoring cycle for the Education and Students sub-strategy;

1010.5 that it was expected School Education and Student Experience Committees would consult with their Boards of Studies on any policies arising from rethinking assessment work.

1011 Annual Enhancement Report

Received paper 22/433 ‘Annual Enhancement Report’. The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience spoke to this item.

Noted

1011.1 that this inaugural report was a first iteration to present detail of enhancements and improvements to quality and the student experience; this was a companion document to the Annual Quality Report which detailed items around quality, assurance and academic standard matters, though it was noted the style and nature of the reports differed;

1011.2 the report was retrospective and covered each theme of the Education and Students sub-strategy, namely activities related to student success, inspiring teachers, and an inclusive and innovative learning environment; the report intended to capture key actions, impact evaluation and provide assurance of steps taken to make enhancements across the institution;

1011.3 that this would be a key document for the next QAA external review, which would be enhancement led; the University would be reviewed on its ability to demonstrate its strategy, the performance data behind the strategy, any improvements made and an evaluation on the impact of these improvements;

1011.4 the report also looked to reflect on the University’s maturity in relation to its enhancements and the green ticks within the report indicated the level of maturity (out of a total of 3);

1011.5 that this first iteration was intended to capture institutional strategy; further iterations would look to include case studies demonstrating impact from schools, staff and students;

1011.6 that the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students extended thanks to those who had helped produce the document and undertaken the vast amount of work demonstrated in the report;

1011.7 that Senate was invited to comment on the document and the report would then be submitted to Council for discussion, subject to any comments from Senate; the report would not be submitted to HEFCW;

1011.8 that the Education Development Toolkit had been launched as a set of resources for academic staff and those who support leaning and teaching, to assist with reviewing practice and course design; these would not require Senate approval, given they were guidance documents not policies or regulation; feedback would be sourced on future iterations of these documents;

1011.9 that the report did not make reference to Boards of Studies and it was noted the report was intentionally at an institutional level (as this is what would be required to be demonstrated externally) but that future iterations would include more detail (as per minute 1011.5);

1011.10 it was noted that there was a perceived lack of engagement with and between School Education and Student Experience Committees and Boards of Studies on inputting to and developing strategy (rather than implementing from the top-down) and it was requested this was noted to Council when they reviewed the report;

1011.11 that it had been agreed an Education Governance review would be undertaken in summer 2023 and the roles of, and the suture between, Boards of Studies and School Education and Student Experience Committees would be a key part of this review; a paper on the conduct of the review would be brought to the next meeting of Senate;

1011.12 it was suggested that the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience and the College Deans for Undergraduate Studies visit Boards of Studies on a three-yearly and annual basis respectively to discuss key issues, rather than present policies; it was noted that a series of visits had been undertaken with each school to review better ways of partnership working and a discussion would be held with the Senior Education Team on how to ensure best partnership working;

1011.13 it was noted that it was important to ensure policies or regulation coming from the Education and Student Experience Committee were developed in collaboration with academic staff and disciplines and that sufficient consideration was given to safeguarding academic freedom; it was confirmed that an engagement matrix had been created to record all engagements with schools and this was shared with the Portfolio Board; there was school representation on the Portfolio Board, project boards and enhancements groups to ensure wide engagement across the institution on this portfolio;

1011.14 it was clarified that as Chair of Academic Standards and Quality Committee, there may be instances when the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience informed schools on the requirement to take action in response to a regulatory need but these were used rarely and cautiously and in instances where there was a risk to the reputation of the University’s academic standards.

Resolved

1011.15 to endorse the report for its submission to Council to provide an update on the implementation of the education and students sub-strategy and the activities being pursed to enhance the student experience.

1012 Any other business

Noted there was no other business.

1013 Items received for approval

Resolved

1013.1 to approve the following papers:

• 22/379 HR Excellence in Research Award – Cardiff University’s twelve-year review
• 22/388 Awards and Progress Committee Terms of Reference 2022-23

1014 Items received for information

Senate Noted the following papers:

• 22/430 Minutes of ASQC - 14 February 2023
• 22/431 Minutes of ESEC - 26 January 2023
• 22/378R Bicameral Review Scoping Task and Finish Group Constitution
• 22/432 Cardiff University Press Annual Report 2021/22