Senate Minutes 6 March 2024

Minutes of the meeting of the Cardiff University Senate held on Wednesday 6 March 2024 at 14:15, in rooms 0.52 and 0.54 of the Bute Building.

Attendance

In Attendance

Katy Dale (minutes), Ruth Davies, Dr Martin Chorley, Hannah Darnley, Laura Davies, Dr Rob Davies, Rhodri Evans (Acting Secretary), Dr Kate Gilliver, Professor Claire Gorrara, Dr Rob Gossedge, Tom Hay, Nicola Harris, Professor Kerry Hood, Daniel Palmer, TJ Rawlinson, Claire Sanders, Dr Henrietta Standley, Professor Amanda Tonks, Professor Jason Tucker, Dr Liz Wren-Owens

1052 Welcome and introductions

Noted

1052.1 that all were welcomed to the meeting, especially the new members (Michelle Deininger, Claire Jaynes, Professor Rachel Errington, Professor Hayley Gomez and Professor Mark Llewellyn).

1053  Apologies for absence

Noted

1053.1 that apologies received would be recorded in the Minutes.

1054 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

1054.1 that no member disclosed any interests.

1055 Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2023 (paper 23/449) were confirmed as a true and accurate record and were approved to be signed by the Chair.

1056 Matters arising

Noted

1056.1 that at its last meeting, Senate had approved the Marking and Moderation Policy subject to the sharing of a clean copy; this clean copy had been shared and there were no comments received.

1057 Items from the Chair

Noted

1057.1 that there were no Chair’s Actions to report since the last meeting;

1057.2 that Professor Katherine Shelton (Head of School for Psychology) had been appointed as the Head of School (College of Biomedical and Life Sciences) representative on Council, following a ballot;

1057.3 that paper 23/440 (Changes to Ordinance 8) was included for Senate’s information and proposed an amendment for Council’s approval to default four-year terms for the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice-Chancellors; this would provide for greater leadership continuity during a prolonged period of sectoral change.

1058 Report from Vice-Chancellor

Received and considered paper 23/450C ‘Vice-Chancellor’s Report to Senate’. The Chair spoke to this item.

Noted

1058.1 that thanks were extended from the Vice-Chancellor for engagement with the Big Conversation activities; three imagined futures would be launched at the upcoming Town Hall events to stimulate discussions; this would then assist with producing a high-level strategy in May, with the final strategy presented to Council in July for approval; the final strategy would also come to Senate’s June meeting for discussion;

1058.2 that a Chief Transformation Officer had been appointed (Dr David Langley) and the announcement would be issued in BLAS;

1058.3 that it was a financially challenging time for the University and the wider sector; the University was monitoring student numbers more stringently in light of this and international student recruitment for 2024/25 was a concern (as seen across the sector), especially around PGT; work had been commissioned to streamline and expedite admissions processes;

1058.4 that Welsh Government had announced an increase in the cap on tuition fees from £9,000 to £9,250 and the University planned to apply the increase to the tuition fee for ‘home’ students and was working through the implications and implementation of this fee increase before it would be formally announced; it was noted that returning students had been impacted by covid, the cost of living and industrial action and this increase in fees may further impact on NSS scores; the Vice-Chancellor highlighted the University was committed to its students and enhancing the student experience and the decision to increase fees had not been taken lightly; it was noted that future discussions around changes to fees should include the Students’ Union wherever possible;

1058.5 that a student panel had been working with the University on the Big Conversation and the Vice-Chancellor and Students’ Union President would discuss how to further involve students;

1058.6 that it was yet unclear what resource would be required for the transformation work which may emerge from a new strategy; workload was noted as an issue and this identified the need to change, rather than continuing to cut back.

1059 Bicameral Report – Review of recommendations

Received and considered paper 23/437C ‘Bicameral Report – Review of Recommendations’ and ‘Cardiff University - Final Bicameral Review Report’. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor spoke to this item.

Noted

1059.1 that the review had stemmed from the 2021 Governance Effectiveness Review (the ‘Nicholls Review’) and had been commissioned by Council; a Task and Finish Group had been established to confirm the scope of the review and Halpin had been appointed as the external reviewer; Halpin had delivered their final report in January 2024 and had met with the Task and Finish Group to discuss the report;

1059.2 that three commendations were included within the report, which included the University’s participation in the Governor Apprenticeship programme, and on the detailed work on academic assurance in the Senate meeting observed by Halpin;

1059.3 that of the 18 recommendations, the Task and Finish Group suggested all but one were taken forward; it was not endorsed to take forward establishing an agenda setting committee as it was not felt the understanding of Senate’s remit was yet mature enough for this to be of benefit; this would be covered via other recommendations;

1059.4 the Task and Finish Group endorsed all but 3 of the 12 suggestions (the joint away day and external stakeholder oversight and surveys);

1059.5 that recommendations 7 and 8 were the crux items as these would clarify Senate’s remit and Senate’s constitutional relationship with Council; the University had asked for good examples from the sector from Halpin;

1059.6 that the Task and Finish Group would oversee implementation of the recommendations and would continue to engage colleagues across the University;

1059.7 that Governance Committee had reviewed the paper and emphasised the importance of recommendations 7 and 8; the Committee had also noted induction should be a priority for the 2024/25 academic year and be shared with those interested in joining Senate where possible;

1059.8 the paper would be updated for Council to note feedback from Governance Committee and Senate;

1059.9  that Senate provided the following comments:

.1 that the use of “white space” needed to be defined whenever used;

.2  that there was no recommendation from Halpin in relation to the views expressed that Senate was seen as “rubber stamping” and this should be given further consideration;

.3 that there may be recommendations which could be implemented quickly and should be prioritised where possible;

.4 that the issue around some voices dominating Senate had been noted in the report and this should be actively addressed;

.5 that a joint away day could be of benefit and could perhaps focus on progressing recommendations 7 and 8;

.6 that there may be internal knowledge from colleagues that could be used to support reviews; it was noted that having objective external insight was also useful on some matters;

.7 that it was important to consider the changing environment and that any changes to Statues and Ordinances should ensure they continued to be fit for purpose for the future;

1059.10 that the Chair of the Task and Finish group had ensured Welsh Language was considered during the review.

Resolved

1059.11 to recommend to Council approval of the proposed recommendations and suggestions to be progressed from the Bicameral Review report and the associated next steps and timescales, subject to the inclusion of the salient comments from Governance Committee and Senate in the paper considered by Council.

1060  Annual Enhancement Report

Received and considered paper 23/365 ‘Annual Enhancement Report’. The Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience spoke to this item.

Noted

1060.1 that the report covered the period autumn 2022 to autumn 2023 and documented progress made to achieve the objectives of the Education and Students Sub-Strategy via the education and student experience portfolio;

1060.2 the report was a companion document to the Annual Quality Report received by Senate in November 2023 and, although not a regulatory required report, would assist with upcoming enhancement review; case-studies and the voices of staff and students had been included to ensure reflections were evidence-based and qualitative;

1060.3 that a large amount of work was being undertaken to enhance the student experience and there had been improvements in the data and the measures of progress and success, reflecting maturity in the University’s approach to enhancement;

1060.4  that there were a number of highlights to note, including:

.1 data on qualifications held by teaching staff were being collected and the University was now surpassing Russell Group average;

.2 that a number of toolkits had been developed to support academic staff, alongside CPD activity;

.3 improvements to the digital learning environment, including most modules now using Blackboard Ultra, and progression of potential options for flexible learning;

.4 implementation of Student Engagement Officers and promoting work on closing the feedback loop;

.5 significant work around assessment, with next steps to review implementation and support schools;

.6 the highest ever score in the Graduate Outcomes survey and an increased number of placements; there was a reduction in interest which was being reviewed;

1060.5 that the Campus Life programme had been paused and this offered an opportunity to review and re-think this area in light of the new strategy; the funding agreed for study spaces remained and it was anticipated that this work would be completed in time for the next academic year;

1060.6 that the education and student experience portfolio would end in July 2024 and next steps centred on embedding the work undertaken and evaluating the impact of initiatives; the work had centred on academic practice and there was also a need to shift to review and given attention to the wider student experience.

1061 Annual Quality Report Update: Academic Standards

Received and considered paper 23/422R ‘Annual Quality Report Update - Academic Standards’. The Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience spoke to this item.

Noted

1061.1 that the Annual Quality Report had been received by Senate in Autumn 2023 and, at that time, the details on degree outcomes were not known due to the marking and assessment boycott (MAB): these were now confirmed and detailed in the paper; the paper would also be shared with Council;

Degree Outcomes

1061.2 that the University was required to update its Degree Outcomes Statement;

1061.3 that pre-pandemic, the proportion of first class and good honours was below the Russell Group average but above the sector; there had been an increase during the pandemic due to the adoption of the safety net and which had also been seen across the sector;

1061.4  the proportion of first class and good honours was now dipping to below pre-pandemic levels faster than the sector and there was a need to understand why this was happening to support students achieve good outcomes;

Student Characteristics

1061.5 that there was a seven percentage point difference between the outcomes for UK white students and UK Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic students achieving good degrees; when disaggregated, this was notably lower for Black students and continued to move negatively;

1061.6 the Inclusive Education Project had been established to review this area and was meeting with schools to understand the impact and identify actions;

Progression

1061.7 that the report included institutional progression data for the first time;

1061.8 this reflected that there was an increase in the proportion of year 1 to year 2 students repeating the first year, leaving the University or being required to withdraw by Examining Boards; this was particularly seen in the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering but was a cross-University issue;

1061.9 a further piece of work on progression analysis had been undertaken by the BI team to review which characteristics had an influence on first-year students’ chance of progression to the second year; domicile, sex, ethnicity, disability, mode of study, age, qualifications, and postcode data were found to be amongst the factors having the biggest impact on progression; the findings also indicated that the odds ratio for progression for white UK students was slightly more than two times that of black students; there was also a large difference for students with a disability and not in receipt of DSA;

1061.10  work was underway to understand this situation further and to review how the University could help students to learn and achieve better outcomes; a plenary had been held with schools which had been beneficial and identified areas to review;

1061.11 that the cost of living would also impact on students’ ability to progress (e.g. being too cold or hungry to study or having to undertake more paid work).

Resolved

1061.12 to share the regression model with Senate members who requested further information.

1062 Academic Standards and Quality Committee Report to Senate

Received paper 23/451 ‘Academic Standards and Quality Committee Report to Senate’. The Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience spoke to this item.

Noted

1062.1 that two polices were included for approval;

Academic Feedback Policy

1062.2 that the policy was a companion to the Marking and Moderation Policy;

1062.3  that the policy was last reviewed in 2015 and required updating; it had been condensed to ensure simplicity;

1062.4 that changes centred on addressing feedback from external examiners and students (i.e. the quality and timeliness of feedback);

1062.5 that no change had been made to the timing for feedback to be provided (within 20 working days);

1062.6 that clarification and empowerment had been included around the role of Boards of Studies which would determine the strategy for the provision of feedback;

1062.7 that implementation of the policy would be key; this was an area where the University did not perform well in NSS;

1062.8 that data around meeting the timeline for feedback was not gathered centrally; the policy for Blackboard to be used for feedback, save in exceptional circumstances, would allow for data to be gathered;

1062.9 that the document version number did not correspond with the document history version; it was confirmed the paper contained the latest version as recommended by Academic Standards and Quality Committee;

1062.10 that the policy would have workload and resource implications; it was noted this had been considered when discussing updates to the policy and the revisions aimed to focus on feedback that was necessary and would be of benefit to the students; Boards of Study would determine appropriate levels of feedback and the use of concise feedback had been emphasised in the policy; work was also being undertaken to update the toolkit for feedback;

1062.11 that “actionable” feedback intended to ensure feedback was student-centred and it was clear what students could learn from feedback; it was noted this would be of great benefit to students;

1062.12 that all taught programmes (including clinical programmes) were covered by the policy;

1062.13 that the use of the policy for feedback for placement activities would be discussed offline;

Education Partnership Policy

1062.14 that this was a new policy, formed of a collection of previous policies;

1062.15 the policy confirmed expectations around education partnerships and also detailed the role of the Education Partnership sub-committee which provided oversight in this area;

1062.16 that a simple template was provided to use in re-validation activities;

1062.17 that it was felt a full strategic phase one review to renew education partnerships that were working well was labour intensive and could be made simpler; it was believed this was the current process and further discussion on this would be beneficial;

1062.18 that it would be helpful to clarify the start date in relation to agreements, the number of credits required and if there were requirements around which subjects had to be studied;

1062.19 that further work was required to clarify the queries raised on this policy before it could be approved; should the changes be minor, this would be approved via Chair’s Action; any substantive changes would be bought to Senate for approval of the policy.

Resolved

1062.20 to approve the Academic Feedback Policy, subject to clarity to be provided around the word “actionable”;

1062.21 for further work to be undertaken on the Education Partnership Policy.

1063 Education and Student Experience Committee Report to Senate

Received paper 23/452 ‘Education and Student Experience Committee Report to Senate’. The Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience spoke to this item.

Noted

1063.1 that NSS actions plans had been submitted to HEFCW and were appropriate; a review of the actions included in the 2022 institutional action plan had been undertaken;

1063.2 that personalised support for taught students had been reviewed and there was a large variance in students’ experience; work was underway to scope a more holistic support service for taught students.

1064 Update on Research Culture Activities

Received paper 23/453 ‘Update on Research Culture Activities’. The Pro Vice-Chancellor Research, Innovation and Enterprise spoke to this item.

Noted

1064.1 that research culture was increasing in importance in the research agenda, not just for funders but also in relation to the new element of REF (people, culture and environment);

1064.2 that research culture was owned by the whole University community and there was a need to continuously develop and improve;

1064.3 that work in this area was led by Professor Karin Wahl-Jorgensen as University Dean for Research Environment and Culture;

1064.4 that informed by the research culture survey, an action plan was being developed and efforts targeted in key areas; these were being cross-checked with national frameworks and relevant existing initiatives, and results from the survey were echoing with feedback from the Big Conversation; the action plan would be finalised by the end of the current semester and launched in the summer;

1064.5 the University had been successful in securing two years of funding (at £889k) from the Wellcome Trust for the Ignite programme; this would be used to pilot programmes aimed at empowering individuals for leadership linked to developing the University’s research culture;

1064.6 that work was underway to support preparations for REF 2029; the University was self-auditing on the people, culture and environment element at an institutional level, alongside working with schools at a unit level to share best-practice and bring this into business as usual;

1064.7 that the University had been awarded £80k from HEFCW to support research culture; it was noted this was substantially less than amounts awarded to English counterparts; individuals would be able to bid for use of these funds for activity and events around developing research culture and it was to be confirmed if this would include PGR students.

1065 Recruitment and Admissions End of Cycle Report 2023/24 Entry

Received paper 23/454C ‘Recruitment and Admissions End of Cycle Report 2023-24 Entry’. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor spoke to this item.

Noted

1065.1 that the report was retrospective and referred to 2023/24 entry; the Vice-Chancellor’s report had made reference to 2024/25 entry;

1065.2 that the Deputy Vice-Chancellor was now Chair of the Recruitment and Admissions Strategy Group (RASG);

1065.3 [Redacted];

1065.4  [Redacted];

1065.5 [Redacted];

1065.6 [Redacted];

1065.7 [Redacted];

1065.8 [Redacted];

1065.9 [Redacted];

1065.10 [Redacted].

1066 Any Other Business

Noted

1066.1 that concerns had been raised in relation to module cessations in the School of History, Archology and Religion; this was a matter for the relevant Board of Studies (not Senate) and a written response explaining this would be provided by the Vice-Chancellor;

1066.2 that meeting dates had been set for the 2024/25 academic year and Senate would meet on 6 November 2024, 12 March 2025 and 11 June 2025.

1067 Items received for approval

Resolved

1067.1 to recommend the following papers:

23/455 Updates to the Scheme of Delegation

1068  Items received for information

The following papers were received for information:

• 23/456 Minutes of ASQC – 8 February 2024
• 23/457 Minutes of ESEC – 26 January 2024
• 23/458 Cardiff University Press - Annual Report to Senate 2022-23
• 23/385 Annual Report for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers
• 23/440 Changes to Ordinance 8