When launching new programmes or reviewing or making changes to existing ones, you’ll need to go through your own institution’s internal validation process (your Registry or similar function will be able to advise on this), as well as considering the Quality Assurance Agency’s subject benchmarks. You’ll also need to consider whether you wish to have the programme accredited by the appropriate professional institution.

Integrated quality and enhancement review, Northern Ireland (IQER NI) is a method to review higher education in further education colleges that began in the 2010/11 academic year.  It was developed by QAA for the Department for Employment and Learning to ensure that the review method is tailored to the needs of Northern Ireland’s education system and to ensure that further education colleges in Northern Ireland maintain the academic quality and standards of the higher education awards they deliver on behalf of their awarding bodies and organisations.

More information:

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

When launching new programmes or reviewing or making changes to existing ones, you’ll need to go through your own institution’s internal validation process (your Registry or similar function will be able to advise on this), as well as considering the Quality Assurance Agency’s subject benchmarks. You’ll also need to consider whether you wish to have the programme accredited by the appropriate professional institution.

A distinctive approach to quality is taken in Scotland- the Quality Enhancement Framework (QEF) – which has been developed since 2003 under the guidance of the Universities’ Quality Working Group (UQWG). The Enhancement Themes are selected by the Scottish higher education sector and they provide a means for institutions, academic staff, support staff and students to work together in enhancing the learning experience. Support for the Enhancement Themes is provided by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education, Scotland (QAA). Each Theme facilitates both sharing and learning from current and innovative national and international practice. In addition, the Themes promote the collective development of new ideas and models for innovation in learning and teaching.

More information:

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

Some toolkit content is available to members only. For best results, make sure you’re logged in.

The following provides links to a range of resources and information to help university admissions tutors and those working in recruitment and admissions roles.

And each year, in November, the Engineering Professors’ Council organises a Recruitment and Admissions Forum so that all of those involved in the recruitment and admission of students to engineering programmes in UK higher education have the opportunity to get together and share experiences and best practice, as well as hear the latest from policy makers, the funding agencies and Government.  We also provide feedback to members from the annual early enrolments survey, which provides an indication of student numbers compared with the prior year for both undergraduate and postgraduate (taught) students.

Don’t forget to check out the Tomorrow’s Engineers programme website which offers a wide range of resources to assist schools, prospective students and their advisers.  The latest range, including a leaflet entitled ‘Make a Difference to the World: Engineering at University’ may be found here.

And do take a look at this set of films, produced by the 2014 winner of the EPC’s Engaging in Engineering awards, Dr Emma Carter of the University of Sheffield – aimed at 8 to 15 year olds, their particularly useful for schools outreach activity.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for on this page, why not ask a colleague by starting a discussion?  Or feel free to drop us a line directly.

Contents:

 

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

In our Curriculum Development and Teaching Innovation Toolkit you’ll find just a sample of the range of resources available to support curriculum development and innovation in teaching engineering programmes, with links to some of the engineering education research centres.  This is an area which is developing constantly so please do contribute links and resources to keep it up to date by starting a discussion or contacting us directly.

Some toolkit content is available to members only. For best results, make sure you’re logged in.

Contents:

 

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

 

Engineering Council website: ‘Information for Students’.

In addition, the following are available on request from marketing@engc.org.uk,  putting IEng/CEng in the subject line.

1. A ‘Student guide to professional registration with the Engineering Council’

2. An introductory email aimed at new undergraduates.

 

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

 

The EPC routinely tracks applications trends at both undergraduate and postgraduate level across all of the engineering disciplines.  We report and comment on these at our Recruitment and Admissions Forum, held in November annually.  The latest may be accessed in our Data explorer.

UCAS scheduled statistical releases.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published a report in December 2013 on the trends in applications and demand from students for postgraduate study.

 

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

 

The EPC reviews and reports on graduate engineers’ ability to gain employment on leaving university.  The latest information may be accessed by members in our Data explorer.

 

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

 

A brief guide to the Scottish educational system: for admissions tutors elsewhere.

Pupils in Scotland move from primary to secondary school one year later than in England and (traditionally) from school to university one year earlier, around age 17. The state school system is almost entirely homogeneous and comprehensive. University degrees are a year longer to compensate for the earlier entry. Thus a BEng typically takes 4 years and MEng takes 5 years. Engineering programmes are usually specialised from the start but most Scottish bachelors degrees provide a broad programme in the first two years followed by specialised honours courses in the final two years; in general Scottish education places a higher emphasis on breadth than in England.

National qualifications are administered by a single Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). For many years pupils have taken the following set of examinations.

It is tempting to compare the qualifications with GCSE, AS and A levels but there are significant differences.

This picture is evolving as a result of the Curriculum for Excellence, currently pro­gressing through secondary schools. Major changes have occurred in primary and the earlier years of secondary education but the impact on pre-university qualifications may be small.

Helpful publications

John Davies, revised 2014-12-06

 

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

 

Developments in Pre-University Education Classification of Vocational Qualifications and the Tech Bacc.

There have been some developments as far as the Government’s classification of qualifications into ‘Technical Level’ (which was originally called ‘Occupational’), ‘Applied General’ and ‘Academic’.  It is understood that ‘Occupational’ was meant to mean specialist craft/technician qualifications and the Government envisioned them not to be a “normal” route to higher education.

The scene changed considerably during 2014.  The larger BTEC engineering qualifications have moved from being classified as ‘Applied General’ to ‘Technical Level’.  Only the smaller BTEC Engineering Certificate (equivalent to one AS qualification) is left in the ‘Applied General’ category.

There may be two reasons for this:

  1. Following the consultation (in 2013) the Government agreed that ‘Technical Level’ qualifications could be used for entrance to university.
  2. The new Technical Baccalaureate (Tech Bacc) performance measure only recognises ‘Technical Level’ qualifications, not ‘Applied General’.

Relevant documents can be found at:

The City and Guilds Technical Baccalaureate

City and Guilds officially launched their ‘TechBac’ qualification in, among other subjects, Engineering, Construction and IT. (This should not be confused with the Government’s Tech Bacc which, like the EBacc, is not a qualification, merely a performance measure.)  The TechBac claims to be a blend of technical qualifications, a project qualification and a work placement.  There appear to be two Level 2 TechBac qualifications (presumably of different sizes).  Both involve a free-standing ‘Level 2 Higher Project’ and either a Technical Award or Technical Certificate in Engineering.  A Level 3 TechBac is termed an ‘Advanced TechBac’ and it comes in three sizes: Certificate, Extended Certificate and Diploma.  All have the free-standing ‘Level 3 Extended Project’ as a mandatory component.

The Pearson Edexcel BTEC Nationals

Most of the Level 3 BTEC National qualifications are now in the Tech Level category and therefore qualify to be included in the Government’s Tech Bacc.  The BTEC Nationals are being revised and teaching to the new specification will start in 2016.  This means that university admission tutors are unlikely to see the new qualifications before the 2018 entry.  There is very little detail at the time of writing this paper as to the content of the new qualifications.

Edexcel are changing the names of their national qualifications and the following table is an interpretation of the changes:

GLH* A Level Equivalent 2010 National 2016 National
180 0.5 Certificate —
360 1.0 Subsidiary Diploma Award
540 1.5 90-Credit Diploma Subsidiary Certificate
720 2.0 Diploma Certificate
1080 3.0 Extended Diploma Diploma

* GLH = Guided Learning Hours

One thing to note is that the various sizes of BTEC qualifications do allow the mixture of BTEC and A Level qualifications.

Currently, the best information on the 2016 Nationals can be found at:

Developments at Level 2

Awareness of the new school performance measures, Progress 8 and Attainment 8, is increasing and they will certainly be a great improvement on the best-5 GCSEs, which they replace from 2016.  The English Baccalaureate stays but its importance may decline.

There is a range of GCSE-sized engineering qualifications that have been approved by the Government to be counted in Progress-8 and Attainment-8 metrics.  In the areas of engineering and construction, these include:

University Technical Colleges (UTCs) are now able to blend GCSEs with these Level 2 vocational qualifications without their league table position being compromised.  Up to 3 vocational qualifications can be included.  Further information can be found at:

Teaching of the new versions of GCSE Science qualifications are due start in 2016.  The new much tighter Key Stage 4 specifications for science mean that the old modular structure for science will no longer be practical.  Schools will not be able to mix the teaching of combined and single science subjects as the additional material covered in the single sciences is spread throughout the topics.  The Combined Science GCSE will be double-weighted.  No single Combined Science will be available.  The new specifications can be found at:

The tighter specifications mean that there will be less variation between awarding bodies and that would have made the design of A level sciences easier – had their revision been delayed until 2018.

 

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

 

UCAS provides a useful set of links to information about student finance in each of the devolved administrations:

 

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

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