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Department & Policies

Head of Department

The Head of Department carries overall responsibility for the Department's teaching and student assessment. The 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.

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. The DoE is also responsible for allocating teaching duties to staff members; coordinating the review of the Department's teaching; preparing all formal documentation relating to new modules and to major changes to the Department's teaching; and coordinating the preparation of the Department's reports for the ITLR, Institute of Physics accreditation etc.

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) decides on 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 students and staff 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.