My course
Is your course well organised and delivered?
If you are studying at a university or college that is registered with the Office for Students, the courses it offers should offer a high quality experience.
This means that the course should be well organised and delivered.
Up-to-date content
The subject matter of your course and the way it is taught should reflect current thinking.
If there has been new research in the subject, the course should include it.
If the course concerns areas of professional and industrial practice that have seen changes, these should be covered.
It should also reflect any developments in teaching and learning and the resources that are needed to support it.
- The university or college has plans to make changes that will mean the course stays up to date.
- The course content (for example, topics of study and reading lists) draw on the latest research and scholarship.
- If a course needs updating, it should not need significant changes.
- A provider might teach a course mostly online, but this is inappropriate for the course and does not follow current practice for that field.
- The content of a course or the way it is taught has not been updated for years and is now out of step with current academic thinking. (Not updating a course on its own may not be a sign of poor quality. It depends on the academic field. A course on accountancy with a module about understanding tax may need updating to reflect changes in taxation. Other courses may need updating less often.)
- A course, like medicine or teaching, that does not cover the content that a profession requires. This is often specified by an organisation – called a ‘professional, statutory or regulatory body’ (PSRB) – that works with universities and colleges to oversee courses that lead to professional or vocational qualifications.
Challenging students
Courses should challenge their students. This means that your course should be rigorous and difficult.
But universities and colleges should tailor the level of rigour and difficulty to the nature and subject matter of the course.
It should also reflect the level of study (for example, undergraduate or postgraduate).
- Research degrees require students to produce original ideas. A good quality course will give a student a research question that means they can do this.
- A foundation year is meant to prepare students for further study. A good quality integrated undergraduate foundation year will prepare its students for successful undergraduate study.
- Students on a course could be at different levels of learning. A poor quality integrated masters' course, for example, might teach a group of students at different levels that doesn't take this into account.
Overall organisation
Overall, your course should be well organised or 'coherent'.
The content of your course should find a balance between 'breadth' and 'depth'.
This means the course should not be so broad that you can't study the subject matter in any detail. Equally, it should not be so narrow that you can't study an area where it is appropriate for the course.
It also means that you should be taught the subjects and skills in a sensible order. This might mean that they build on each other throughout the course.
In the same way, key ideas should be introduced at suitable points as you build up your knowledge.
- Research students may need specific skills to carry out their research. They should have access to a course on research skills at the right time.
- Students learn a grounding in key concepts before they move onto more difficult topics. For example, a course that requires competence in mathematics teaches it before or alongside the topics that it underpins.
- The content of a three-year undergraduate degree does not give students the chance to study optional subjects beyond a mandatory core.
- A module with 20 credits covers so much material that students cannot develop a deep understanding.
- The practical or practice-based parts of the course are not taught in order. For example, students begin work in a laboratory before they have been taught related theory or principles.
- A course offers students a wide choice of modules but the choices do not relate to each other in a way that produces a coherent learning experience.
Teaching, supervision and assessment
The way your university or colleges teaches, supervises and assesses your course should be effective.
This means the methods of teaching, supervision and assessment should be relevant to the content of the course.
Some courses may suit a programme of lectures and seminars. Others may be more suited to group work or practical study.
The course should find the right balance between guiding or directing you and giving you independence to study or research.
- A course is taught through large-scale lectures but also provides opportunities for small group teaching.
- Students have the right opportunities to engage directly with teaching staff, including where parts of a course are delivered remotely.
- A postgraduate research course does not offer regular and effective supervision sessions, or opportunities for structured engagement with other researchers.
- The course does not combine professional or practice-based elements with academic elements. For example, an apprenticeship does not require academic reflection on work-based learning.
- Feedback or assessment does not help a student to lean because the student doe not receive enough of it or at the right time.
Relevant skills
Your course should help you to develop skills that are relevant.
'Relevant skills' means that the course helps you to develop knowledge and understanding that are relevant for the subject matter and level of your course.
This might include:
- purely cognitive or reasoning and analytical skills
- practical skills
- transferable or ‘soft’ skills – such as problem-solving, teamwork or communication – that you can apply in different settings
- professional competencies or the skillset you need to complete a role or task in a specific profession.
- Students on a course develop and demonstrate intellectual skills. For example, they learn to evaluate evidence, develop an argument, and solve problems.
- A course designed to lead to a particular profession does not require students to develop and demonstrate the skills they will need to succeed in the profession.
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