Department & Policies
Head of Department
The Head of Department and the two Deputy Heads of Department carry overall responsibility for the Department's teaching and student assessment. They are advised by the Physics Management Committee, which meets each month to review departmental strategy. They delegate responsibility to the Staff Meeting, the Education Committee and the Director of Studies.
Deputy Head of Department (Teaching)
The Deputy Head (Teaching) is responsible for allocating teaching duties to staff members; coordinating reviews of the Department's teaching; preparing documentation relating to new modules and to major changes to the Department's teaching; and coordinating the preparation of the Department's reports to the University, and to the Institute of Physics accreditation committee.
Staff Meetings
All staff members attend Staff Meetings. There is one scheduled meeting each term with additional meetings when these are required. The meeting receives reports from the Education Committee, Head of Administration, Head of Department, Research Committee, Safety Officer and representatives of other groups within the department.
Director of Studies
The Director of Studies (DoS) is responsible for implementing u/g teaching policies and the day-to-day running of the u/g teaching.
Senior Tutor
The Senior Tutor is responsible for coordinating the support for all students, overseeing the intervention strategy for students falling behind with coursework. The Senior Tutor organises a programme of events to encourage social interaction of staff and students.
Education Committee
The Education Committee (EC) determines the undergraduate curriculum. Its members include the Director of Studies, the Examinations Coordinator, the Head of Department, the Head of Laboratories, the Senior Tutor and student representatives (usually the Chair and Secretary of the SSLC).
The EC coordinates the curriculum design and content; approves any changes to the Department's teaching policies and the overall Aims and Learning Outcomes of the degree courses; considers suggestions from external examiners, staff and students about how teaching and assessment can be improved; reviews students' pathways and year-to-year progression; approves all changes to the curriculum; keeps staff and students informed of developments both within the department and outside. There are two working groups, which report to the EC on Laboratory teaching and on Computing.
Module Leaders
Each module has a module leader (or module leaders) who is/are responsible for delivering the module. This includes keeping students informed of what is required (usually via the module's website), coordinating the marking of any coursework, handling any queries about the module.