Identification of Academic Partnerships and Collaborative Provision

Discussions with the appropriate Head of Department/ Institutional Lead/Academic Director (Partnership) and Education Policy and Quality (EPQ) Partnership Team should take place at a very early stage in the approval cycle in order to seek advice the academic model and associated timescales and steps to be taken. EPQ can help in the development of the outline and risk assessment proposal. Seek advice also from the University Professional Services Teams (Admission and Marketing) who can offer advice and support. The academic departmental Finance Managers will be able work with the University Finance and Legal Teams to get advice on areas such as local taxes for international provision and any other costs which will help with the understanding of not only costs but also to ensure the viability of the delivery model for the collaborative provision. Any implications regarding the legal contract can also be raised at this very early stage. Should an external organisation approach the University centrally without a supporting academic department, the Academic Registrar shall consult the Chair and Secretary of the Partnerships Committee to determine whether the University wishes to consider the proposal further. If it does, an appropriate academic department(s) will be contacted and asked to consider whether it would like to support the proposal. The department will be under no obligation to take the proposal forward.

Initial considerations will cover matters such as:

Academic Partnership

Nature and reputation of proposed partner;
Ethical considerations of proposed partner;
Compatibility of mission, values and strategic objectives;
Legal and financial status of the organisation;
Suitability of resources to underpin proposed collaboration ;
Current experience of delivering higher education (HE) and current partnerships (if relevant);
Accommodation requirements off and on campus for any collaborative provision (timetabling and student accommodation).

Collaborative Courses

The content and proposed level of qualification to be awarded for the course of study in respect of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications;
The methods of assessment;
The resources available, including the suitability of the proposed staffing and an assessment of the educational environment of the potential teaching institution;
The administrative resource required to support the collaboration and whether this would require additional administrative staffing at both the developmental and delivery stages of the new programme(s).

International Partnerships

Proposers of new international academic partnerships will find reading International Partnerships-Legal Guide for UK Universities (2013) a good starting point https ://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Documents/International/LegalGuideFINALMarch13.pdf It raises questions regarding further areas to consider prior to a collaboration:

Get advice on financial models and taxes for the country of the proposed partnership:
Check there are no legal or regulatory barriers;
Establish what local laws may affect the collaborative provision;
Do not underestimate the time, commitment and costs that may be required to set up the partnership;
Proposed partnership must be consistent with University International strategy;
Start the due diligence exercise as soon as possible. The results may have an impact on the feasibility, structure and content of the partnership;
Ensure that GDPR principles cannot be breached;
Consider the University arrangements and obligations to students and what that will mean;
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Documents/International/LegalGuideFINALMarch13.pdf

Degree Apprenticeships

In the first instance contact the Work-based and Professional Learning Team for advice and guidance. A Programme Manager from the Work-based and Professional learning Team will be assigned to support the department in their proposed development of a new degree apprenticeship where there could be one or many employers involved. Contact the Education Policy and Quality (EPQ) Team who can advise on the course approval process for degree apprenticeships.

Fees and Pricing Costs

There are a number of areas that will need to be agreed with the proposed partner institution and should be established at a very early stage of discussion. These will include:

Fees for the service or provision
Operational costs
Course development and approval process ( Validation, Franchise, Distance and Co-delivery only)
External Examiners (Validation, Franchise, Distance and Co-delivery only)
Collaborative Review (Validation, Franchise, Distance and Co-delivery only)
University staff expenses (Validation, Franchise, Distance and Co-delivery only)
Accreditation and graduation costs (Validation, Franchise, Distance and Co-delivery only)
Discounts
Scholarships
Taxes for local delivery (International provision only)
End Point Assessment costs (Degree Apprenticeships only)

All costs must be reviewed on an annual basis and may lead to a revision of the Financial Arrangement Schedule in the partnership agreement.

Due Diligence

The purpose of due diligence is to examine whether the prospective partner is an organisation with which the University would wish to work and be associated with, both from a financial and academic quality perspective. The Academic Partnership must have the capacity in legal, financial and resources terms to enter into a productive and sustainable relationship. Due diligence is by necessity a detailed, rigorous and resource-intensive process. Due diligence processes (legal, financial and academic) provide the relevant information required for a provider to make clear judgements and assess any potential risk to the organisation or its students. It is required of any prospective new academic partner, though scaled down for medium and low-risk arrangements. Due diligence is carried out as part of:

Outline and Risk Assessment Approval
Academic Partnership Full Approval
Renewal of an agreement with an existing academic partner

Risk Assessment

The University operates a Risk Management Policy that supports institutional, departmental and programme level risk. Risk management and the identification of opportunities is undertaken at the University of Warwick as a positive business driver. Irrespective of the level at which risk management is operating, the definition of risk used by the University is: ‘The threat or possibility that an action or event will adversely affect the achievement of agreed objectives’. The definition of risk management used by the University is: ‘The process by which uncertainty is assessed, quantified (where possible), recorded and managed in order to support good, well-informed decision-making at all levels of the institution’. As part of the outline proposal for partnership and collaborative provision, an initial risk assessment is created by the proposer. The information collected as part of the initial risk assessment will inform the completion of a risk register at the full approval stage.

Contractual Agreements

The proposing department should have early discussions with the Legal and Contracts Team to discuss the contractual arrangements required for the academic partnership. This discussion can be facilitated through the academic department Finance Manager. For Apprenticeship Training Services agreement please contact the Work-based and Professional Learning Team.

Timescale for Development

The preliminaries to an academic partnership, both formal and informal, will require an adequate timescale to engender mutual confidence between the University and a potential partner institution. It is important that the partner is aware of the academic partnership and course approval process and associated timescales. Even at this early stage, it is helpful to share the outline and full proposal scrutiny and course approval processes with the potential partner to ensure they understand the key elements and timescales.

Points to Consider When Developing Academic Partnership and Collaborative Provision

Course Titles

Course titles should be should be chosen to reflect accurately the content of the course. Where the University approves a number of distinct courses in a single discipline the titles should make clear the different characteristics of the awards concerned.

PSRB requirements

Where the collaboration involves a programme which is in any way recognised or accredited by a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body in the UK or abroad, clarity and reassurances should be sought as to how any proposed arrangement might impact this in relation to the programme or individual student(s). Discussion with PSRB should happen very early on in the development phase of any new courses to seek their views and advice.

Admissions requirements

Partner organisations are responsible for recruiting and selecting students for admission to validated or franchised course to the criteria specified by the University. Where applicants do not meet the normal entry requirements please ensure there is a clear comparable rationale. For postgraduate courses, the admission of students without first degrees will normally only be permitted in exceptional circumstances and permitted by the University’s Recognition of Prior Learning Policy.

Financial Arrangements

These should be discussed with the departmental Finance Manager.

Learning Opportunities and Supporting Student learning

Students following validated courses will not normally be permitted access to the University Library. Partner organisations are expected to provide all the necessary learning resources such as a library, e-resources, IT and the physical facilities or equipment required for successful delivery of their course. The site visit required as part of the approval process should ensure that resources are adequate for the successful delivery of the specific course. A site visit is therefore required where the relevant facilities or resources required for the specific programme differ from those already approved as part of an existing collaborative programme with the partner organisation. Students following franchised or other collaborative courses resulting in an award of the University of Warwick are fully registered with the University and are therefore entitled to normal student access to University facilities as relevant for the specific mode and location of delivery. Where students are at some distance from the University within the UK or based overseas the availability of relevant electronic learning resources and an appropriate virtual learning environment will be a particularly important facet of providing the appropriate learning opportunities for the course.

Staff Student Liaison Arrangements

The University will normally require the partner organisation to monitor student views on its teaching by using questionnaires, discussion groups and informal contact and to establish a Student-Staff Liaison Committee (or equivalent) in accordance with the principles underpinning the SSLC system at Warwick. The Partnerships Committee may wish to see copies of SSLC meeting minutes, annual reports or feedback as part of monitoring and review for medium and high risk provision.

External Examiners

All External Examiners will be appointed by the University in line with University Policy and should have recent and relevant knowledge of the UK Higher Education quality assurance regulatory framework, even where a programme is delivered abroad. In cases where the University validates or franchises the same or a similar course of study to more than one partner institution the same External Examiner(s) should, where possible, be appointed for all the courses concerned. The External Examiner’s role should be conducted according to University guidelines and requirements. The Collaborative Academic Lead in the academic department will be responsible for providing advice on University assessment procedures and the role of the External Examiner.

Academic Appeals and Complaints

Academic Appeals and complaints procedure should be specified in the University’s agreement with the partner organisation. Complaints from students registered on franchised or other collaborative programmes resulting in an award of the University of Warwick will be considered in accordance with the University’s Student Feedback and Complaints Resolution Framework. Academic Appeals from students registered on franchised or other collaborative programmes resulting in an award of the University of Warwick will be considered in accordance with the University Academic Appeals Regulation.

Student Records and Administration

The University’s Academic Office will maintain a record for each student following a validated, franchised or other collaborative course. At the beginning of their period of study, all students should be provided with information setting out their rights and responsibilities as a student on a course validated by the University or delivered through a franchise or other collaborative arrangement. It is essential that partner organisations keep the University fully informed of the progress and status of students registered on their validated, franchised or collaborative courses, including notification of changes of address and the progress of any students who are required to resubmit work after the usual final examination board for their cohort. The partner institution should create and maintain (in accordance with the relevant laws) a full record of the courses of study taken by each of its candidates registered for an award of the University and to share these with the University’s Academic Office as agreed in the collaborative agreement to enable transcripts of the studies undertaken by students enrolled on validated, franchised or other collaborative courses to be provided as necessary. In the event that a partner institution should for any reason cease its relationship with the University, suitable arrangements must be agreed with the University to ensure that the facility to provide such transcripts is not lost. Students registered on courses validated by the University will be subject to the regulations of their own institution at all times, and to the University of Warwick’s Charter, Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations and other rules governing validation. They will not be reported to HESA by the University. Students on a franchised or other collaborative course will be fully registered students of the University and subject to its rules and regulations. Such students will be reported to HESA as University of Warwick (franchised) students.

Award Ceremonies and Certificates

Students being awarded a University of Warwick degree (including foundation degree) on successful completion of a validated, franchised or other collaborative course will be eligible to attend the University’s degree congregation where previously negotiated in the collaborative agreement. Other students (diploma or certificate courses) will be issued a formal University certificate recording their qualification after the pass list has been approved by the relevant University authority. Some departments may also wish to arrange local, specific degree ceremonies for such students.

Student Information and Promotional Material

All material used to advertise or inform prospective students about the validated, franchised or other collaborative course should make clear the role of the University in the course using the wording “validated by the University of Warwick”, “franchised by the University of Warwick”, “ jointly awarded by the University of X and the University of Warwick” or other wording as applicable. The precise wording should be agreed in advance and noted in the collaborative agreement/contract. The University logo may be used to promote validated, franchised or other collaborative courses; again, if this is to happen, or if the logos of both the University and the partner are to be used, it should be noted in the collaborative agreement/contract. Collaborative Academic Contacts are asked to monitor the quality and accuracy of promotional material on at least an annual basis, and a sample may be considered as part of the programme’s programme of monitoring and review.