Programme Excellence Project: 2023/24 End of Year Update

We would like to take this opportunity to express our huge thanks to everyone who has contributed to PEP in 2023/24. PEP is a project, part of UCL's Strategic Plan, with a specific focus on Education Excellence. 

Updates 

PEP Team 

Having led PEP from its inception, Lizzie Vinton moved onto an exciting new role at the University of Warwick in April 2024. Professor Kathryn Woods (PVP Student Academic Engagement), has since taken over as Project Lead. A new PEP Team, based in VPESE, is also now in place to support the development and delivery of the project: 

• Project Strategy & Delivery Manager – Tom Flynn  
• Project Manager – Jenny Austin  
• Project Support Officer – Esra Celik  

Please continue to get in touch with us about any aspects of PEP and questions by emailing: pepdata@ucl.ac.uk  

PEP1: Portfolio Review  

We are delighted to report that in June, we successfully concluded the Portfolio Review for all UCL’s UG programmes. 

The Portfolio Review focused on rationalising our programme portfolio and programme structures to improve how we market and operationally manage our programmes. For example, following PEP1, most of our programmes that include study abroad are now sensibly advertised and managed as ‘variants’ of their parent programmes, enabling a joined-up approach to how they are marketed and delivered. This has helped us reduce the number of separate UG Programme Summaries staff need to maintain by 79%. 

PEP1 also introduced ‘post-enrolment specialisms’ that allow students to more flexibly tailor what appears on their degree certificates after enrolment. A total of 123 new UG post-enrolment specialisms have now been introduced. This will help ensure the ongoing attractiveness of our programmes to prospective students, improve student satisfaction, and simplify our programme administration.  

The Portfolio Review for PGT programmes is underway with a deadline for draft submissions of 30 September 2024. The process is due to conclude by 31 January 2025. 

We will reopen the UG Portfolio Review process again in 2024/25 to allow departments to make further changes if they wish. Further details will follow at the start of the next academic year. 

Curriculum Information Management (CIM) Programme  

The Curriculum Information Management (CIM) programme was launched in April 2023 to support the delivery of PEP and improve how we manage our curriculum information. The project is led by Daniel Farrell (Director of Student Operations). 

The programme will see us introduce a new end-to-end curriculum management system, Curriculum Information Management Team (in Student Operations) and improve the curriculum information management service for staff. Specifically, the new system, to go live in increments from the 2024/25 academic year, will help us improve our curriculum data quality and reliability; simplify curriculum information and delivery processes; increase opportunities for curriculum data reporting; and reduce the amount of staff time spent on curriculum administration. 

You will find more information about CIM on the programme’s SharePoint site. You can also sign up to their regular newsletter by emailing curriculummanagementproduct@ucl.ac.uk  

PEP2: Curriculum Review Launch  

The Curriculum Review (PEP2) was launched in April 2024: PEP2 Curriculum Excellence - Introduction. PEP2 will focus on the strategic refresh of programme curriculum structures and content to ensure quality assurance and successful ongoing recruitment to UCL programmes. PEP2 has a strong academic focus on developing programme and curriculum principles. 

Conversations were initiated with the UCL community at a Roundtable event in May 2024 attended by approximately 70 academic, professional services and central services colleagues to consider priorities for UCL’s curriculum excellence for the future. Our Roundtable Summary Report outlines the discussions which took place and the points of consensus which emerged. Similar themes were explored during a Students’ Union Education Zone meeting in June 2024. Further work will be undertaken in partnership with the Students’ Union over the summer.  

What’s next: what the PEP Team is going to be up to in August and September 

Research into the UCL curriculum landscape 

Over the summer the PEP Team will conduct desk-based research into our curriculum ‘landscape’ at UCL. This will look at how we compare with the sector in how we manage our programme quality assurance. It will also, among other things, provide analysis of the total number of different types of modules at UCL and on different programmes. 

We will share our findings as a report before the start of the 2024/25 academic year. This will form the basis of a UCL-wide community conversation that will help us design our Curriculum Excellence Principles. 

Design of the review process 

We will work with Education Services to design the Curriculum Review process to provide clarity for departments and faculties on what they are being asked to ‘do’ for PEP2. We will also design relevant documentation templates that colleagues will be asked to submit for review. This will be ready for the start of next academic session. 

Heads of Programme template role descriptor 

The Senior Education Team have recently been working with HEDs and Vice-Deans' Education to develop a template role descriptor that will act as a useful checklist for Heads of Programme (also known as Programme Leads), Heads of Department and Department Managers. The template role descriptor will provide clarity on the high-level list of responsibilities and tasks to be undertaken by Heads of Programme to ensure successful programme delivery. This will be made available before the start of 2024/25. 

What do I need to do?  

There are no immediate steps faculties and departments need to take over the summer in relation to PEP2. So, take a well-deserved break! 

The PEP Team, meanwhile, will continue to prepare for the Curriculum Review. We will be back in touch before the start of the next academic session with details of the full 2024/25 PEP ‘Masterplan’.