Responsesassignment

6 The Panel recommends that the School put in place a mechanism that
would facilitate any request, made because of cultural issues, for the
involvement of female assistant supervisors in a team.
7 The Panel recommends that the School should strongly encourage staff to
apply for chartership to develop the level of expertise and national
recognition of the School’s research environment.
8 The Panel recommends that the relationship between the QA Officer and
the SPEC is reviewed to ensure that the QA Officer has direct access to
the committee. In addition the point of responsibility for responding to
postgraduate issues raised through the College QA monitoring system is
identified. The Panel also recommends that the School develop
mechanisms to further embed the process of annual PGR QA reporting
into the Graduate School’s procedures.
Management of quality and standards
9 The Panel recommends that the following adaptations are considered to
increase the effectiveness of the process for monitoring progression
(milestones):
• Upgrading the requirements of the 8 month review to make the
report more comprehensive with a higher requirement for
explanation, reflective and constructive analysis, and critical review
from the students.
• Introducing a more formal ‘thesis committee’ system for each
student to provide the student with a comprehensive review and
feedback in parallel with their development over their study period.
The thesis committee could also help to provide pastoral care.
• Introducing clear and transparent criteria for appraisal of progress
which are applicable across the School.
• Introducing additional opportunities for students to develop their
writing and critical analysis skills in years 2 and early year 3. These
opportunities would be in addition to the current milestone
monitoring requirements.
• Making the Thesis Writing Workshop compulsory for all third year
students.
• Reviewing the process and rigour of the poster presentation review.
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